Hello 2012!!!

We just completed our family card. What fun memories!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Taxes - DONE

Yeah! We just submitted our taxes. It's a great feeling to have that over with. Plus we got a little something back. :)

1 Week

This morning marks 1 week of being wheat, sugar, and dairy-free. Well kind of, Garrett and I went to dinner last night at a new restaurant and I forgot to ask about the dishes enough. So I ate flour in the appetizer, cream/butter in the entree and by the end of the movie I was so thirsty that I had to have a sip of Garrett's Sprite (so sugar!). What a crazy night, but I'm back on the wagon with my brown-rice (sugar-free) cereal with Almond milk. I hope I can last a few more days so I can figure out what my "go forward" diet will be.

I'm not sure how much sugar, wheat, and dairy to bring back into my life. Any ideas?

PS - I've lost 1 lb, so there is lots of support for me to continue this a while longer.

Rome - My First Visit

Garrett is now in Rome, NY for the summer. He's working with AFRL on a research project, so I only get to see him on the weekends. :( But like my coworker stated - if you can't get quantity time then go for quality with the time. That's what we are going for. Every weekend will be full of memories and bonding time. Sounds like an okay summer.

So this is my first visit to Rome. We also went to Palmyra, NY to see the Hill Comorah Pageant. It was so beautiful.

A beautiful lake at Rome

The Hill Comorah Pageant

Palmyra Temple

My Hero :)

You might not be able to see it but the Victory USA on the concrete block is made out of pennies.

Happy Birthday Garrett!

Now that he's older and wiser, here are a few thoughts from Garrett:

1) I like steak. (we went to BLT Steakhouse to celebrate and had some amazing food)

2) I love my wife. (maybe because I bought him the steak - j/k)

New York Library

Garrett and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to go to Bryant Park. Unfortunately it was being renovated and all the grass was torn up. But that didn't ruin the day - just the sitting on the grass part. We then had lunch and walked to the library to get our New York Library cards. The first books we checked out...an autobiography (A Backwards Glance) and a book on learning French.

7 Month Anniversary

It's our Seven Month Anniversary as well as the anniversary of our engagement. Yeah! In addition, our fabulous event was published in the Martinsville Bulletin. It looks beautiful!

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=22755&back=accent

The Opera - La Fille du Régiment

Garrett and I went to the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. The opera was fantastic with an amazing tenor. We were all the way at the top, but it was still great. The average age of those around us was 55 (and that was including us). It was probably because we went to a matinee showing.

Blizzard in NYC - Feb 10th

It can't compare to DC, but we had plenty of snow to write messages in them. It did snow all day on Wednesday, so schools were cancelled (even Garrett's university). Most people didn't go into work, but I did! Garrett was sweet enough to walk me to work. Here are some memories of the day.

Celebration

For our anniversary and Valentine's Day, Garrett took me to a lovely restaurant called The Russian Tea Room. It was so amazing! Garrett had stroganoff which consisted of fillet mignon with an amazing sauce with mushrooms over noodles. It was a deconstructed meal - best ever. Our desserts were pretty cool too.

The art around the building was fabulous also. It was just a lovely evening. Thanks sweetie!

Crystal Bear that is an aquarium. So beautiful

Faberge Eggs hung from a gold tree.

Christmas doesn't end yet

To celebrate our relaxing weekend together, Garrett and I decided to go to the American Natural History Museum and see if their tree was still up. It was still very festive with the dinosaurs made out of large pine-tree branches and the TONS of people there. It wasn't as bad as Time Square at New Years, but we were amazed at how long the lines were.

When we mentioned that all we wanted to see was the Christmas Tree a worker took pity on us and showed us a faster way. And there it was the origami tree!
I was so excited. I had no clue about this until this year when I googled a few "must see" things in NY. But don't worry this wasn't the first and only year. "For over 35 years" OrigamiUSA has designed and decorated a tree to herald the beginning of the holiday season" for the museum. This year the theme was Origami A to Z. As you look up close you'll see dinosaurs, birds, letters, etc. So much fun!
The top was also very impressive. Maybe we should decorate Mom & Dad Hales' tree this way next year. Are you game?

Just a close up to show all the amazing detail. I love the centipede.

Christmas!!!

We spent our first Christmas in Virginia with Garrett's family. It was so much fun. There was tons of food, wrapping paper and love. And within a few days there were tons of people of all ages enjoying the season - just like a Utah Christmas. :) People kept asking me if it was too much, but it just made me feel more at home the more we played games and laughed.

We ate a lot, so there were a lot of dishes. Derek and Shauna weren't the only ones playing with the suds.

Toby is very loyal when you have ham, turkey, cheese...what a good dog!
Here is the Rose clan! I'm so blessed to be a part of this. Merry Christmas!

You Know Its Fall When There Is Football!

Garrett and I went to our first football game together - Army vs. VMI. Located at West Point, NY made it an easy commute to see a Virginia team play. Fortunately it wasn't that competitive so when we cheered for VMI, I didn't fear for our safety. All in all we cheered for good plays and groaned for the sad plays. Two things I learned...1)VMI does not pass (total of 5 tries with 2 completions) and 2) cadets are required to go to games and do push-ups when Army scores. A pretty fun event over all.

At half time they brought out a 100-yard flag - so cool! That was the largest flag I've ever seen.

In the end Army won. Go Army!

Graveyards - What fun!

While in Vermont, we toured Ben & Jerry's. It was so much fun especially the Flavor Graveyard. Garrett thinks I'm weird for liking graveyards, but he liked this one too. :) These are some of out favorite headstones...

More Vermont

At the Cabot Cheese store they had this fun cow. I think it's made for children, but we're children at heart!

I'm mooing!

Happy cows are in VT.
This is why I thought it was made more for children or those under 4 ft.

The High Line

The High Line is a former railroad track in New York that was changed into a walking path recently. It's located in New York's Meat Packing District (more of a night club & cool restaurant area now) and fairly close to our church. Garrett & I took a Sunday stroll along it between General Conference Sessions, and it's beautiful!

Here's more cool info from their website (http://www.thehighline.org/):

The High Line was built in the 1930s, as part of a massive public-private infrastructure project called the West Side Improvement. It lifted freight traffic 30 feet in the air, removing dangerous trains from the streets of Manhattan's largest industrial district. No trains have run on the High Line since 1980. Friends of the High Line, a community-based non-profit group, formed in 1999 when the historic structure was under threat of demolition. Friends of the High Line works in partnership with the City of New York to preserve and maintain the structure as an elevated public park.

The project gained the City's support in 2002. The High Line south of 30th Street was donated to the City by CSX Transportation Inc. in 2005. The design team of landscape architects James Corner Field Operations, with architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro, created the High Line's public landscape with guidance from a diverse community of High Line supporters. Construction on the park began in 2006. The first section, from Gansevoort Street to 20th Street, is projected to open in June 2009.

Wedding Pictures! - Eating Cake

Not the ones from our photographer, but ones from our friends. Thank you all! Here is how much fun we had eating cake.

It was just as delicious as it was beautiful!

Ireland

Garrett will have to share the stories, but I can share the pictures. Isn't it beautiful?

Irish countryside... it is really green there, emerald even...

Below, in the distance, you can see the mountain where St. Patrick first spoke with the Almighty

A typical Belfast street

Queen's University of Belfast


Next trip for Garrett is Florida. I'm so jealous since it is getting cold here!

The Wall

Garrett is in Ireland...but is Betsy?

Nope...this is Storm King's Wall. So cool!

I love that it disappears into the water, and it comes up on the other side.

Garrett wanted to walk the entire 2,278.5 ft. But we settled for a segment.

Garrett is so strong that he created a space for us to walk through...okay the break was already there. :)