Christmas time is among us

Will and I have negotiated. We usually don't have to pull out our negotiating tactics because we typically find each other on the same page. Thank goodness, because life would be a gruesome struggle if that were the case. My point that I am trying to get at is Will likes to savor Christmas for a short time. He is allotted 2 weeks. Now Mine? Mine has no limits, I like to celebrate for the entire month of December, plus the last week of November. See, not on the same page. There is a struggle to getting to the same page because we both can't seem to put aside our traditional Christmas do's to fit the others traditions, but alas, we have come up with an agreement. It took the last three years to see eye to eye on this subject, but we have harmonized our traditions to fit each other. Three years, goes to show we've got a lot little pride in us. I began by saying, dearest William, man after my very own heart, master of all....Ok, it went nothing like that.

Actually, it went exactly like this:

Me: Will, pretty please, can we decorate and start listening to music right when we get home from Thanksgiving break, with a cherry on top?!
Will: No way, Jose, we are not decorating until a week before Christmas!
Me: Oh no YOU dint just tell me what to do.
Will: You just asked me!
Me: Big mistake, buddy. Big mistake!
Will: I'm confused.
Me: Me too...
Me: December 1st is the day we decorate, final offer.
Will: December 15th
Me: December 9th
Will: December 14th
Me: December 12th
Will: December 20th
Me: NO FAIR, that's not how this negotiating thing works. Ho-kay!
Will: FINE, December 13th. Final offer!
Me: Done
Will and Marci shook on it. And, to seal the deal, a kiss was exchanged. Ewww, cooties.
It feels oh so good to be on the same page as your spouse. I'm now just counting the days down to the beautiful day of December 13th, when WILL and I will be decorating our home. I love the holidays, they bring a flood of memories that generate an unconditional amount of joy into my life. Makes me want to curl up by a fire, drink a cup of hot joe (i'm talking cocoa, people.), and cuddle up with the guy that makes me smile a million times a day. Seriously, I think I have lock jaw or something. He's got to stop being so funny all the time, geez mahn!

Masked

Kelli's wedding was unforgettable.

I really wanted to dance with my nephew, but under one condition, I was required to wear a mask. He forced me. We had a lot of fun. Dancing seems to be my families tradition. I mean, we are crazy on the dance floor.

Photography by: Most hilarious and talented, Camille Johnson

Mormon style of course. None of this PG-13 crud.

My sister (Lindz) and neice (Lily), getting their groove on. My neices mom (Sarah) is right behind her!

Nephew Mack (Lindz's boy) break dancing. He has mad skillz.

I wish it were Kelli's wedding all over again. Only because I wasn't the one planning it. Weddings are a pain to plan. Honestly, I've never had to plan one. My mom pretty much took over for me when I was "planning" my wedding. Don't worry, she LIVES for planning things. I was more than happy to pass on the wedding blue prints to my momma, but only because she insisted and she's much more talented than I am!

The cake topper you see right there, is the cake topper that was used on my grandmother and grandfathers cake on their wedding day in 1941. Very special. Kinda jealous that wasn't used on my cake. Guess we all know who the favorite is in this family! Ahem!

These are a few of my favorite things...

I have oily, OILY, greasy, GREASY, lard-like, you get the picture, oily skin. It's a curse. Minus the fact that it keeps me moist, I never will dry out.. This lotion is heaven. (Thanks to my sis-in-law, Jen for directing me to this product.) It is light, SPF (smells nothing like sunscreen, there is only a lovely aroma), and it really does reduce redness. I would know!

I have a partial addiction to chapstick. Is it possible to have a partial addiction? I didn't think so.

Helps tame the mane.

I love these colors. Helps make these blue eyes pop.

Just some random things that I use everyday to keep me happy and fresh!

Pribe of Libe

I'm on a roll with these random videos. I just came across this hilarious clip, thought I'd be so kind and share with whomever feels the need for a good laugh.

I'm having troubles adding the video, so just go here.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

All he cares about is treats, treats and snoozin'...look at him...treats and snoozing, snoozin' and treats, that's it!

Marcel is funny... and she is a shell.

Look what my sister-in-law made.

I have a pretty awesome nephew

This weekend was one for the books. I was being abandoned by the love of my life because he had a very important, planned boys and "girl" weekend (his sister, Emily tagged along...there was just too much testosterone, needed to even things out :) Will, his dad, three brothers, and sister all flew out to Greenville, SC to enjoy a weekend of Clemson football. Will was so excited he forgot to pack his own suitcase. The good wife that I am, I helped get him packed. Since, I couldn't be with Will, I decided to watch the game just in case I could spot him. I spent the weekend at my mama's so my mom and I watched most of the game. And every time the camera would scan over the crowd, we would pause the TV (the beauty of DVR) and take the time to see if we could spot the Watson clan. My mom said, "this feels like we're looking for Waldo!" Funny she would say that because the camera scanned by a guy that was dressed up as 'Where's Waldo!" We laughed pretty hard. Good news: Clemson won! I'm very happy because that would have been pretty lame to fly all that way just to lose a game.

Anywho.

Less talk about Will, more talk about me or my nephew. My nephew Ben turned 11 on 11/11/11 which was awesome. We went out to Chili's to celebrate the little guy! He is a goofy kid with a lot of personality. He's extremely witty too.

(Celebrating Ben's birthday at Chili's)

We came back to my parents and came up with a few dances (which were pathetic, but memorable), and then we started to watch Once Upon a Time, new TV sitcom that is not so bad. A little cheesy, but I kind of like it. Oh, and my brother Jeremy slept over too. Which contributed to the funness. He is a hoot and really knows how to get Ben on a laughing attack. Let's not forget that Ben drank a lot of Dr. Pepper because it WAS his birthday and you can do pretty much whatever you want on your birthday. So yeah, he was extremely hyper.

We stayed up fairly late. Late being 12am for me. Usually, I go to bed at 9 when Will is home. Nowadays, we are just old farts. I thought I was going to get to sleep in, but I woke up @ 6:00am to the most obnoxious sound, Jeremy's STOOOOOOPID alarm clock. This very moment brought back memories of when I was in High School and Jeremy's alarm clock would go off for hours unless I got up and turned it off for him and splashed him with water to get the *BEEP* out of bed so he wouldn't be late for early morning seminary. I was a wonderful sister, oh and I still AM! So, I didn't get the beauty sleep I needed. Instead, I studied my little brain until it was fried.

When everyone woke up from their beautiful soundly sleep, we booked it to Maglebys Fresh and got all you can eat french toast. My kind of breakfast to fatten you up. I need not bore you of my entire weekend. Just hear me when I say I have an awesome nephew that has a heart of gold.

(Having a mini-party at Cabelas)

A year ago Ben was in the PICU because he developed a rare condition called Kawasaki disease. It was serious and it was predicted that he wasn't going to make it. He sure fought his way to survival. I'm so grateful he is still here because without that boy life would not be the same. Plus, he is hilarious. The world needs good humor and he's got it. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEN!

Mrs. Leavitt

My beautiful twin is officially married off to the love of her life! I couldn't be happier for her. Minus the fact that she is vacationing in the beautiful state of Hawaii, as we speak. Lucky sod! I just wanted to give you a peek at what Kelli looked like on her wedding day. Her adorable friend, Whitney (who is actually Kelli's husband's (B) best buddy) used her cool camera to get this shot of us ladies in the bridal room. We had a lot of fun getting primped for walking down the aisle.

(I think it's also funny that Kelli is friends with brunettes only. I am the only blondey in this photo.)

Oh, and forgot to mention, Kelli and I got our make-up done by the artists at Mac. Mini-funny-story. The girl doing my make-up made it perfectly clear that her life's obsession is make-up. And, she made no bones about how good she is. She kept saying, "Let me do my magic, because I've been doing this for years, I'm a professional!" I was like, "aight, I place my trust into you Miss Profesh!" So, she went at it. She was going for a vintage look, you know, cat-eye look. Yeah, I do not know much about style and fashion. But, this was one of those learning experiences for me. I really liked what she put on my eyes. Get this, she put fake eyelashes on me as well. I was starting to get scared at this point. I couldn't recognize myself when she'd hand me the mirror. Now for the cherry on top. She went with red lipstick. I NEVER wear anything on my mouth, except strawberry chapstick. I hate lipstick. BUT, Kelli said, "Marci, do it for me!" Oh no she did not just put a guilt trip on me since she was getting married. Well, she did and it worked. I let her slather me with lipstick. I was nervous because I've never seen myself with lipstick on before. It was not good whatever she did. Turns out she made fake lips on me. I looked like a TRANNY. A man dressed as a woman. It was just awful. I didn't make any sudden movements because the make-up lady was so proud of her work, I didn't want to shatter her dreams as a "professional artist." So, I kept my lips sealed, literally, because she caked that schtuff on my lips. Paid the lady. And booked it to the ladies room. It felt good to wipe that junk off. I only removed the lipstick, everything else I really liked, if you were confused. Now I know what I could dress up as for next Halloween. No y'all, I won't dress-up as a tranny, I just know I'd make a good one. I wish I had gotten a picture because it was pretty funny.

I would like to say, it was so fun going with my sister to get our make-up done prior to her getting married. It was our last bonding moment before she became a married woman. I loved getting to look at Kelli while she was getting plastered with make-up. I love that girl.

Social Network

I have deleted my Facebook account probably a dozen times. It's pathetic. It really was difficult for us to go our separate ways. I loved the hundreds of friends I had, even though I only spoke to a few occasionally. The little red notifications were always a treat for me, almost like Christmas morn'. I enjoyed stalking my "friends" albums. To top it off I found myself curious to know about the graphic statuses that I'd read on a daily basis.

Alls I'm saying is Facebook is a fun thing, but I decided for myself it wasn't the legit way to keep friends. Maybe it's because I'm married to an activist that despises Facebook. But, he hates anything social. If his work never needed to get a hold of him, he'd probably chuck his phone into the ocean. Oh, and that would be if we lived by the ocean. Which we are hoping to do someday. I miss Facebook because it seemed I had a better connection with people, but it was almost a facade. Like, I was talking myself into the friendship. I would stalk my friends profile and consider that to be my update. It wasn't tangible, I couldn't really give that friend a virtual hug. I mean, I could, but that would be weird. I don't hate on Facebook or anyone that is currently apart of the Facebook world. I just wish Facebook wouldn't take away from true friendships. It seems it has robbed people of trying to maintain a strong relationship with people. Instead, of using your phone or physically meeting up with someone...You're just one email away from becoming BFF. Am I making myself clear? No? Could you at least pretend like you understand where I'm coming from? FINE! I miss Facebook. I do. But, it's definitely helped me stay focused on school work by being off of it. Someday I may return.

Honestly, I don't have much to blog about at the moment and this is the best I've got.

Oh. I do have something to say. Not sure if any of you are Amanda Bynes fans. Well, I am. Maybe it's because everyone I know from High School said I looked like her, well, my facial expressions mimicked hers. That could be it. I've been watching a few of her movies this week. Two of my favorites: She's the Man and What a Girl Wants. Brings back great memories. You should watch them. They are full CHEESE, but I don't even care. I'm as cheesey as they come, so it fits me like a glove. Happy Thursday, people!

The Big Day..

My twinner-poop is getting all hitched tomorrow. The theme is....get this...Phantom of the Opera!!!!!!!!!

I know! I know! Pretty unique and totally my twins style. It was pretty hilarious because Will kept thinking it's going to be a costume party. He was planning on dressing up as the Phantom himself. Yeah, well, if you know Will, and I know most of you do, he is full of *you know what*. Which is a good thing. He told me he wants to skydive. I'm afraid of heights in case you didn't know. He didn't follow through with his costume, but it's all good, my imagination was enough.

Anywhayz, back to Kelli and her taste.

We are nothing alike, but we love each other tremendously. We haven't always shown each other how much we love each other, but it's always been constant. She is such a great girl. Been through a lot, more than me. Made choices that have made her stronger even if she didn't feel that way in that very moment. But, she has come a LONG way and I love her for that. We are going to have the greatest ole time tomorrow. I've been counting down the hours. We had a little mom/sister/daughter get-together to celebrate Kell Bell getting married to her B-stie boy (Brandon). We got manicures and pedicures and ate out at an Indian restaurant, (we have a tradition in our family, we always order Chicken Makhani and naan when we go to any Indian restaurant--my favorite dish). It was the best girl's night. I loved bonding. We haven't done something like this...EVER! So, it was just a party.

My adorable momster

The entire time we were at the restaurant, my nephew, Mack (the most adorable red-headed nephew I have) and I played Rock, Paper, Scissors. Then, we got bored of that original game and came up with Sword, Shield, and Brick. My nephew has an awesome imagination and a freaking cute laugh. I love that child and everyone else in these pictures.

Kell Bell and B, congratulations! I'm honored to be part of your big day and lives. You are going to make a great married team. MARRIAGE rocks my socks off, so it will yours. Because, well, because we're twins, Kelli. Duuuuuuurrrrr!

Last Summer Hoorah

Here comes the snow, doo doo doo doo, here comes the snow,
and I say it's NOT all right

Little darling, it's been a short warm comforting summer
Little darling, it feels like minutes since it's been here
Here comes the snow, doo doo doo doo, here comes the snow
and I say it's NOT all right

Here is a little "last" camping trip of the year, to prepare ourselves for a wicked cold winter.

Let me tell you. We thought we were getting away from P-town to bask in some peace and quiet. That was the last thing we got to do. We fell asleep at 10pm and woke up at 11:30pm to a coyote that wanted to be heard. It howled, yelp, whaled, you name it. I immediately opened my eyes to see in front of me, a man, who suddenly became a little boy. His eyes were bug-eyed and all he could say was, "Oh, gosh! Oh, gosh!" So, of course it got me scared. We didn't sleep much that evening.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It's tradition in our home to watch Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus on Halloween. Thought I'd share with you a little bit of our creepy tradition.

Oh, and I've been studying for a test all weekend so we haven't gotten to carving our pumpkin yet, but we plan to carve it tonight. Kind of lame because it's Halloween day, but whateves. School comes first for me these days. Hope y'all have a great Halloween. Anybody dressing up?

Inspiring

Women and Education

About half of our Brigham Young University students are women. In my conversations with these women students and with faculty, administrative, and staff women I have detected some uneasiness and confusion about where we stand on education for women, especially vocationally oriented education.

A great deal is being said in our society today about the role of women. Since some of these statements are quite contradictory to what we have been taught by the leaders of our Church, some uneasiness is understandable.

Our young women properly aspire to and prepare themselves for the experiences and blessings of motherhood, which is their highest calling and opportunity for service. As you are aware, the leaders of our Church have consistently taught that “mothers who have young children in the home should devote their primary energies to the companionship and training of their children and the care of their families, and should not seek employment outside the home unless there is no other way that the family’s basic needs can be provided.” (Letter from the First Presidency to Elder Neal A. Maxwell and President Dallin H. Oaks, May 14, 1973.)

Our young women’s primary orientation toward motherhood is not inconsistent with their diligent pursuit of an education, even their efforts in courses of study that are vocationally related. According to current life expectancies, a 20-year-old woman can look forward to more than 50 additional years of life. Not all of that time will be spent in bearing children and raising families. In fact, from one-third to one-half of a young woman’s remaining years of life will be spent in activities preceding marriage and the rearing of children, or following the time when children have left the home. A young woman’s education should prepare her for more than the responsibilities of motherhood. It should prepare her for the entire period of her life.

Many of our young women will need to earn a living for themselves because they do not marry, because they do not marry until after some years of employment, or because they have been widowed or through other circumstances have been compelled to assume the responsibilities of the family breadwinner. A mother who must earn a living for the family in addition to performing the duties of motherhood probably has as great a need for education as any person in the world.

There are other reasons why it is important for our young women to receive a proper education. Education is more than vocational. Education should improve our minds, strengthen our bodies, heighten our cultural awareness, and increase our spirituality. It should prepare us for greater service to the human family. Such an education will improve a woman’s ability to function as an informed and effective teacher of her sons and daughters, and as a worthy and wise counselor and companion to her husband. Some have observed that the mother’s vital teaching responsibility makes it even more important to have educated mothers than to have educated fathers. “When you teach a boy, you are just teaching another individual,” President Harold B. Lee declared, “but when you teach a woman or a girl, you are teaching a whole family.” (Relief Society Magazine, January, 1965, p. 8.)

One of the most important purposes of a university education is to prepare men and women to be responsible and intelligent leaders and participants in the lives of their families, in their Church, and in their communities. That kind of education is needed by young men and young women alike. In short, we make no distinction between young men and young women in our conviction about the importance of an education and in our commitment to providing that education.

President Dallin H. Oaks Brigham Young University Devotional Assembly, February 12, 1974

Count Your Sheep...I Mean Blessings!

I do not know about the vast majority of people out in the world because honestly, not everyone is going through what I'm going through. Wow, that sounds rather melodramatic. Not my intention. What I mean is, not everyone is in everyone's boat. I mean, depends on the boat you're in, could be a yacht, steamboat, fishing vessel, canoe, etc. You catch what I'm putting down, right? I hope so. Alls I'm saying is, I don't think we put enough thought towards little or big blessings in our lives.

When I was in high school, I was an optimistic kind of girl. I was also a homebody, I truly loved being home with my parents. That's probably why I didn't have my first kiss until my 19th b-day. I'm fly like a white girl! AND a big fat nerd. Anywhayz. My parents and I would be headed to the movies, and man, I would get so happy and enthusiastic that I'd start professing my love for all the blessings in my life. Like, "I love our family! I love that dog that's peeing the grass! I love that lamp post! Oh! I love air conditioning!" Just random thoughts that seemed to pop out at me in the moment. But, it made me so happy whenever I would pour out my heart to those blessings that have made my life a bit easier or that would just put a smile on my face. I haven't done that in awhile.

That's probably why I've been complaining more because I'm devoting my feelings to things I don't have or maybe I have these unmet expectations that get me down, so I choose to complain about them rather than turn them into something positive. Not going to lie, it's very hard to do when you are already in upset/disappointed mode. I believe that if you start applying your efforts toward happy thoughts or start expressing how much you love *insert random blessing*, I truly believe it will turn your life around. Honestly, this is for me! But, whoever reads this and wants to make some positive changes, I think this would help. It has already helped me in the last 20 minutes of looking on the bright side of things.

On your mark, get set, GO be positive!

3 years down 6 to go...

Will turned to me last night and spoke in a soft whisper, "Happy Anniversary, Babe. Three down, three more to go." I thought, "THREE MORE? So, that's it?" And I of course turned to him with a bewildered look on my face and said, "What happens after we get passed the six year mark, huh?" He so jokingly rolled his pretty blue eyes and said, "At that point, we'll have three more to look forward to." I was thinking, well okay then. At least we've got the upcoming years to look forward to and the success of our marriage is determined in multiples of three. All I know is, I love the man I'm married to. He is my partner in crime, he supports me in every way, and every time he comes home from work it is like the best Christmas present a girl could ask for. Seriously, people. It's like I have Christmas every day of the year. I am such a bragger.

(Will and me back in the day. Dating.)

Well, anywho.

We didn't really celebrate our anniversary rather we spent our weekend with Will's family. Which turned out to be a secret celebration because I honestly would not have spent it any other way, Will felt the same way. We ate food (what's new?), and just sat around playing with the nieces and nephews and sharing lots of fun memories. We got home from this wonderful weekend of family bonding time and felt a little bummed because we didn't live as close to family as we used to. But, realized we are lucky to have each other to cling onto. We are each others family now.

Lucky us, we get to visit Will's brother (Joseph) and sister-in-law (Jen), their baby Ruby, and little dog (Daisy) this coming weekend at their new home in Las Vegas. Can't wait. We love a good family pow-wow.

(Will can't stress to me enough how much he loves his picture taken. Actually, maybe it's the other way around. Ah forget it. You cannot stop a Marci from taking pictures)

I love life. I love my amazing husband. And most of all I love what the future has to offer.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, LOVEE!

(We're cheeseballz, in case you were wondering.)

Time flies

Is it really October already? Cripes. I really have to admit, Fall is my favorite season. That's probably why I got married in October, because it is a breathtaking time of year. The crisp air, vibrant colors, the smell of delicious spices, pre-Christmas season, and all the great get-togethers due to the holidays. Will and I took a peaceful drive up American Fork canyon just after watching two days worth of General Conference, and man, what a beautiful session we had. I'm grateful for the leaders of our church and their eternal dedication to our Heavenly Father and people of this church.

Back to our fantastic Sunday drive.

Inconceivable, phenomenal, alluring, intense. These words describe what I saw while driving through a whirlwind of beauty. The entire trip up and down the canyon, we spoke of plans for our next years camping endeavors. Where, when, how, who, what, and everything else about camping for next summer. It was fun! We embraced the last tidbits of summer at the same time as accepting the beginning of Fall into our lives. This is a solemn time of year for Will, because summer and fall do not last very long in his eyes and he loves summertime more than anything, actually Fall REALLY doesn't last very long. Like five minutes.

SNOW. SNOW. SNOW. We've complained and gnashed our teeth long enough about this topic. BUT, every year we seem to hate on the snow, like we hate stepping in dog poo. Every time, it's just not pleasurable. Although, for ME....I like to look at snow as a blessing, it's tough, but manageable. The snow is beautimus, bright, and forces you to stay snuggled up inside. Also, I really love winter clothing, scarves, warm adorable jackets, gloves, and just being bundled up. Although, the 5 months of snow, does kind of get old. It's five years in Marci/Will years.

I guarantee I won't be living near the snow forever, so I may as well endorse the snow while I've still got it.

I'm sure I've mentioned this a billion times, but Will did graduate and I couldn't be more proud of my Willy-poop. He doesn't take graduating seriously as you can see below, in fact, he doesn't take very much seriously.. I'm not going to lie, I love that most about him. He always has the best outlook on life.

Lucky sod. I wanna graduate. Coming soon to Marci near you.

Marci is a nerd.

If I had money I'd live...

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. More like, Litchfield, South Carolina. Most people have heard of Myrtle Beach, but Litchfield is not too far from Myrtle Beach and it is heaven on earth. It is warm, the air is fresh, the ocean water feels like a warm bath, and I was in the company of wonderful peeps. Will and I met up with his awesome parents, his hoot of a sister Emily and bro in law Adam, and of course, the one and only Grand Janie.

Huntington Beach. I saw an alligator. Frrreaky.

Enjoyed a night on the pier.

I am telling you, that 4000 mile drive was completely worth it. We laughed, we ate, we BEACHED, we ate some more, we laughed, we slepped, we vacationed, we ate, and we just had a wonderful time. I like to close my eyes when I'm anywhere stressful and just picture everything about this trip and my troubles begin to fade. It really was that much fun. I really haven't been to a place quite like this one. Honestly, we had a very special schedule, especially when Emily and Adam were there (they left early), we'd get up every morning, take a light jog on the beach (by the way, I was sweating buckets on these runs...the air is so beautifully moist there, I felt 10 years younger, HA!), we'd get back from our run and eat a hearty breakfast (consisting of grits (of course), turkey bacon, fresh fruit, and eggs), rush to get in our get-up (beach-wear), make some delectable sandwiches, and take a stroll in our GOLF CART to the beach.

When we'd get to the beach, we would then proceed to dig a hole for the umbrellas. How to dig a hole (Adams way) 1. Use a childs shovel. 2. Dig until you see water or China. 3. stick the umbrella pole in the hole 4. Bury that pole with sand. 4. TAMP IT. TAMP IT. TAMP IT. Tamp? I never heaard of the word until this trip. I will never forget. nor will Will, because we say it all the time now. Thank you Adam and Adam's assistant. (aka Emily) We read on the beach, we sunbathed, we were sunpoisoned (just kidding, but we did get burnt), we ate those delicious sandwiches and picked out all the M&M's from my trail mix, we played frisbee (mostly the boys did, Will, Dad, and Adam), and swam in the bath until we were all pruiny. It was great. Just ppperfect! We basically beached it up until we could beach no mo. And you know it's not possible to not beach, so we beached until work and school so rudely interrupted our vaca.

Boys planning their frisbee strategies Photography by e. Kunz

BEACHERS! BEACHERS! BEACHERS!

We ate delicious home fried shrimp and fresh okra. I love the South. I'm okay if I live there. Really. It was that good of a time. It was very sad when it came to an end. It was like a mean grouchy old man came up to me and stole my giant lollipop right out of my hand, and I have not stopped crying since. Actually, today I have not cried, but sundown may take it's toll on me. We'll see.

Forgot to mention crabbing. We crabbed for crab, obviously. Wow, crabbing for dumb crab, apparently makes you dumber. This is the gesture for crabbing, I just made that up b.t.dubs.

We experienced some exciting weather while we were at the beach, I think it was the effects from the hurricane. Well anyway, we were in the ocean one day (shocker) and it began to downpour and thunderstorm, we proceeded to get out of the water and grab our schtuff, but the hardcore beacher that Emily is, was not leaving. She is a beacher and will be a beacher until she dies. You know like those feminists, she's like a beachist. Intense. The funny thing is, she was staying and nobody would stop her even if they wanted to, (well maybe lightning) because lightning struck not too far from us and we booked it off the beach into our baby golf cart. Not to worry, the storm came and went about 30 min later and Emily, Will, and I were out on the beach once again. You can take the Emily out of the ocean, but you cant take the ocean out of Emilly. Is that right? Ah, who gives a care. It was a blast and that's all that matters.

Civilian on the left (me) and Beachist on the right (Em)
Photography by e. Kunz

I married a gent, he was protecting his momma from the rain.
Photography by e. Kunz (I'm giving you the credit that you deserve, aight e.)

The best part of this trip was seeing Grand Janie! She is a hoot, feisty, hilarious, and more with it than I am. You can't get anything passed her. She really was the highlight of this trip and I'm so grateful I got to finally meet the woman Will talks so highly of. I miss her already!

Grand ole time. Can't wait for next years beach trip!!!

Possibly...

I could possibly be the worst blogger that exists. I have a good reason though. I'm trying to get an education and blogging is considered to be a distraction...I know, I was like, "whaaa, blogging? No!" Anywho. I am back for a minute just to recap my summer, that really didn't feel like summer. Felt more like a long labor filled semester of disgusting school. I did pass all my courses and I'm feeling pretty good. Although, I am back in school for one more semester and then I apply to the nursing program. If only that day would get here sooner.

Here's the juicy part of this post. Will and my trip across the country to go see his sweet Grand Janie (pictured below: who insists she has a meanstreak, yeah right, who does she think she's fooling?)

Photography by Emily Kunz (aka my sis in law and y'all should really check out her blog, because she is the funniest person I know, not even joking right now.)

Will and I are horrible. We did not get as many pictures as we had hoped. I mean, you decide to drive across the United States, you would think to keep your camera in hand, ready to shoot the heck out of everything. Yeah, NOPE. We are fools and were WAY too lazy to pull our camera out of our suitcase. Poor unfortunate fools. It's cool, I'm okay with dissing on myself, so is Will.

(Funny story: During this time I was using a topical cream for my acne, which causes my skin to be ultra sensitive. Well, I wanted to rid myself of my bushy unibrow before our trip so I got my eyebrows waxed. Yep, when she waxed my brows, she took a chunk of skin. Nasty I know, and so you can see in this picture, I have a grotesque scab between my eyebrows---What a beautte!)

We embarked on our journey across the country on the eve of August 12th. Yeah, in the evening folks. Will is crazy (a good kind of crazy), but crazy, and thought we could drive all night, taking shifts, (i.e. I drive, he sleeps...vice versa) and I was like, "Who do you think I am, some kind of insomniac foo?" Well, anyway, we attempted to take shifts and drive through the night. I think I made it about three hours, so we swtiched, and then Will drove for about 1 hour and said, "You were right, this is much harder than I thought." So, we proceeded to camp out in our car somewhere in Colorado. Can't remember where, oh wait, probably cause it was 3 'o clock in the morning!

So we slept about 4 hours, woke up, brushed our teeth in the nasty rest area bathroom, and continued on wheels to our next destination. We drove through Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, small chunk of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, all the way to our beautiful destination Myrtle Beach, SC. So y'all know, I am really condensing this adventure. Sad, but I'm sure you don't want me to bore you with EVERY detail.

(St. Louis Gateway Arch)

Let me back track a little. We took a minor detour to the Appalachian mountains, because we brought all our hiking gear 2000 miles so Will could show me where he used to camp as a young lad. Ain't that presh? He was a lot of fun to be with during this time because he seriously was like a "little schoolboy, a schoolboy who desperately wants to make love to you!" Oh gosh, quote time, you get a golden ticket if you can tell me what that's from! Man, I got off course for a second. Will was so excited. It was like he was home again, on his terrain, you could've punched him in the kidneys and he would've given you a hug, that's how happy he was!

(That right there, behind us, is the Blue Ridge Parkway-->>couldn't ask for a more beautiful view)

It was beautiful. Did I mention, that is was beautiful? I don't think so, IT was BEAUTIFUL! Much prettier than I had imagined. I want to be there right now. Minus the dirt and the fact that our TFD (tinfoil dinners) did not cook worth a darn because everything is so wet in that part of the country, our fire lasted but 5 minutes. It was a good ole time, that's for sure.

I'm going to have to continue this because it's getting a little long for me....