We're the Marshalls.

Road Trip

2012-01-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

Macy the Duck

2011-11-10T13:41:00.001-08:00

Tonight, I post.

2011-11-08T22:18:00.000-08:00

Video courtesy of McKay Marshall

Baby sleeping, husband hard at work, it's the perfect time for me to get it together and update. Finally. Do I have to keep apologizing for the lack of blog upkeep, or can we all just accept that I'm a laggy blogger? Kay.

Quick life updates:

McKay is a free man yet again (professionally, that is) hitting the freelance market in Portland like a mad man. He left his job at Funnelbox in Oregon City last month and has been enjoying the significantly shorter commute to the home office downstairs. Mace and I have loved having more time with him, and we are excited for all of his new endeavors. Check out the newly updated site:
www.mckaymarshall.com

Macy still holds her title as the most awesome baby girl on the planet. She'll be 8 months in 2 days. How is this possible? It's been an absolute blur of kisses and footy pajamas and cuddling and diapers and rubber duckies and dance parties and naps and rice cereal and toothy grins and a million trillion little details that make up the best 8 months of my existence. She has graduated to her "big girl" bed. Translation: I finally let go of my vice grip on Macy's newborn status, put the bassinet away and allowed her to sleep in her crib. I'm not good with change, especially when it comes to my sweet girl growing up, but Macy takes to it like a duck to water. It seems that with every minor freak out I have over her getting bigger, she responds with a look that says, "It's ok, Mom. This is a good thing."

She was a duck for Halloween and loved her costume. Every time I put it on her she glowed. Her whole face would light up and she would feel the fluffy material in her hands over and over.

We took her to the doctor last week and she is doing so well. She gained 2 pounds in one month which is GREAT news for our little peanut who started out in the 3rd percentile for weight. Stick it to those growth charts, Mace. She'll show them.

She is always smiling, loves the doggies, has a lovely little sense of humor and when she sets her mind to something she does not like to be trifled with. A woman I can respect.

McKay and I maintain that she is oh so much cooler than us.

I am keeping busy with the day to day, along with a few personal photography projects mixed in. I feel like my days slip away so quickly since having a baby. Not so much because I'm so busy and stressed and frazzled...mostly because I spend most of my time staring at Macy. I try to be productive, but after a little while of laundry or dishes or whatever needs to be done I think to myself, 'okay, that's enough. Now back to babyland.' I read a blog written by a woman who struggled with infertility for several years before having her baby girl 7 months ago. She wrote a blog one day called "Stare at the Baby". She talked about her typical day and gave a few examples that went something like:
"Go to the grocery store. Stare at smiling baby in the cart. Run into the isle of canned soup while staring at baby. Hurry and clean up mess before anyone notices. Go back to staring at baby."

I can totally relate to this. Sometimes I feel unproductive and like I probably should have put make up on that day, or that we really could use some clean clothes, but in the end I think about how Macy is growing up so fast, and my heart can't bear to miss one minute of it. It just can't. In short: I like being a mommy. What's more: I love being Macy's mommy.

We've officially been in our house for over a year now. A couple of weeks ago I took it upon myself as a responsible homeowner to stain our backyard fences. I'm legit. Still loving the place just as much as the day we bought it. I was thinking about how much I enjoy my house tonight as I cleaned the shower. That is love.

Okay, so not such a quick life update.

In a nutshell: Life is good. We are happy.

The Laugh

2011-07-10T01:13:00.000-07:00

0:27 is my favorite part.

MTV

2011-06-18T16:04:00.001-07:00

I'm A Bear

2011-06-09T23:29:00.000-07:00

Great animation, even better story :)

Ten Weeks on the Planet

2011-05-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

And the planet is so much better for it.

Macy's First Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

First Month Wrap Up

2011-04-14T16:47:00.000-07:00

(WARNING: This post is entirely about our baby girl and may be boring for those who are not as enamored with her as we are...)

I have been thinking about our friends and family who live far away, and especially about the two tearful grandmas who had to say goodbye to Macy over the last couple of weeks. Not to mention the fact that Macy has yet to meet 1 of her grandpas and most of her aunties, uncles and cousins. I thought it might be a good idea to actually keep up with this blog, so everyone could feel a little more connected and see how Macy is growing. So without further ado, a few highlights from the past few weeks:

Recently Macy has discovered her fingers and LOVES them. When they happen to pass by she gets very excited and tries to get them in her mouth as fast as she can. It will be a wondrous day when she discovers that she can actually control when they pass by!!

Occasionally when Macy is between sleep and awake she makes creepy eyes at us. We call this the Uncle Fester state. It's mostly funny and only a little bit creepy.

Macy LOVES music in any capacity-- she loves listening to the music in her swing and bouncy seat, she loves when someone sings to her, and she especially loves when her daddy (pictured here looking extremely tired) plays the piano for her.

This was a big day for mother and daughter-- our first trip to Target together! Needless to say, it was a tender moment for both of us. Here's to many more Target trips in the future, Macy! TBFL! (Target Buddies For Life).

She loves her "big girl" bed, even though she doesn't sleep in it yet. She likes to chillax in there and examine the paint on the walls. Fascinating stuff.

This is the preferred sleeping spot for Miss Mace. I can't say that I mind too much at this point. :) She is very snuggly.

Macy has mastered most of our household gadgets already and has a bit of a hard time sharing the remote, if I'm being honest. She never misses her reruns of Murder She Wrote.

Macy loves to ride in the car, and when she does she looks out the window the entire time with the sweetest little grin on her face (not pictured for road safety reasons). It is the sweetest thing ever.

One of the things I love most is that she is so chatty. Yesterday we went to the doctor and she had something to say to everyone. Lots of cooing and chirping noises, grunting, squeaking, etc. I have named her Macysaurus, because often times she sounds like a t-rex.

I'm sure there are a million more things I could come up with to go on and on about, but I won't. At least not right now...

We're having a ball with our little chick. She's the best.

Post Utero Macy

2011-04-14T16:27:00.001-07:00

1 Day:

1 Week:

1 Month:

I can't believe how fast the time has gone!

In Utero Macy...

2011-04-14T16:21:00.000-07:00

Beginning:

End:

Every Story Has a Beginning

2011-03-28T17:49:00.000-07:00

McKay and I will celebrate our 8th anniversary this June. 8 years. That's a long time. For the majority of that time we have thought often of our family. The family that we knew was supposed to happen for us, but for whatever reason was taking some time to come together. We talked about it, prayed for it, hoped against years of disappointment that it would happen someday.

On March 10, 2011 at 8:49pm our baby girl came. I closed my eyes, gave one final push, and then I heard her beautiful little voice cry out. We sat and stared at each other for over an hour. I think we both couldn't believe the time had finally come. She is here. And I'm her mama. And along with her daddy we get to be together always.

8 years. You were so worth the wait, Macy girl. We love you to infinity and beyond.

Tug

2010-11-15T01:38:00.001-08:00

When the Mrs is gone, it's time to break out the Tupperware.

>

MCKAYMARSHALL.com

2010-11-11T00:18:00.000-08:00

McKay here: just updated my personal professional website. Take a gander and tell your friends!

Introducing...

2010-11-08T13:24:00.000-08:00

Miss Macy Christine Marshall. She is healthy and beautiful and just how we dreamed she would be.

The Summer of George

2010-09-13T18:56:00.001-07:00

Also known as Whirlwind Summer, Summer of Change, Summer Fantastico, etc. etc...

I don't usually like to do the chronological blog entry, but I feel like this time it's necessary. So much to discuss! As Mrs. Von Trapp would say, let's start at the very beginning.

M A Y !

This may come as a shock, but we went to Disneyland this summer. We met up with Leanne and Isaac, Mom, Laura, Paul and Paulo. When Disneyland tells you that they'll let you in for 5 days for the price of 3, you don't hesitate. We got to witness Isaac falling in love with Dumbo (it was his first trip to Dland!) and Paulo successfully defeating a sith lord. We had a great time with the little guys, and a great time leaving them with Grandma in the evening to do the big kid rides. :)

I love Disneyland. And my bearded husband.

J U N E !

June 14, 2010 was anniversary #7 for us (the picture was from last year, but we were dancing to the Hawaiian wedding song, so it relates. right?). We celebrated by signing away all we saved for the below...

June 25, 2010 McKay and I officially closed on our very first house. We annoyed the crap out of our broker until she finally called us back to tell us, OKAY! GO PICK UP YOUR KEYS! (and stop calling me).

I like to see pictures of other people's houses, so I thought I'd post a few of ours...

Front Porch...

The living room is to the left of the entry way...

The office is to the right...

Down the hall is the Dining room and slider to the backyard...

And the kitchen and pantry...

(Pantry!! Yeee!! :))

The upstairs loft/TV viewing area...

Laundry room...

The master bedroom...

The master closet (YEE!!! :))

The master bathroom.

There are two other bedrooms upstairs, but as they are empty and identical I thought I would omit the pictures. Luckily, some of these rooms have a bit more furniture now, but it's a work in progress. When we first moved in we joked that people who came over were going to think we were squatters. It's not as bad now.

J U L Y !

I'm drawing a blank on July...

A U G U S T !

Little Mary got herself hitched in August, and McKay and I were lucky enough to be able to travel to Boston to be there for the big day.

Mary made a lovely bride, and it sure was nice to meet my new brother-in-law, even if it was 5 minutes before the sealing. :)

After the wedding day McKay and I had a very small window of time to explore a bit of Boston.

Here we are at Louisa May Alcott's house. I tried to get McKay to act out some scenes from Little Women with me. No dice. But he did pose for this picture.

We also visited The North Bridge, where we saw the landmark for "the shot heard round the world" and saw the place where the first british soldier fell in the revolutionary war. I love this stuff, so it was pretty cool to see.

McKay next to the remarkably peaceful and beautiful battlefield.

(yes, his shirt is wrong on purpose. It's a joke... but is it funny? I don't know.)

S E P T E M B E R !

Labor Day weekend my whole family came for a visit in Portland. We fit 12 people in my little house, and it worked out just fine! I was so proud of how my house held up! We took the kids to the Zoo and the Children's Museum, and Sunday night we went to the beach for a big family bonfire. Total highlight for me.

Part of the crew at the Zoo

The whole fam!! Except for Carlos who ended up having to stay in Maui for work. :(

And there you have the majority of the big events this summer... all except one.

I saved the very biggest and best for last. Are you ready for this?? Are you sitting down?? :)

The highly anticipated, long awaited, much loved Baby Marshall will be arriving March of 2011. We are beyond thrilled.

Clink Exterior

2010-05-06T22:00:00.001-07:00

Clink Clink Clink. I know this makes 3 Clink posts in a row now– but what can I say, it's a lot of what I think about during the week. This one is interactive! We may be painting the exterior of the studio soon, and I wanted to submit some options for you to vote on. Vote for one, hate on one, or post a new idea in your comment. I'm not saying that the most votes will win, but your feedback will definitely be valued.
Now:

For your consideration:

yellowpages

saved by the bell

white on red

jungle jaws

flu season

Bamboo Shoot

2010-05-04T09:05:00.001-07:00

Last month I was asked to direct a couple spots for Wacom's Bamboo line. We had a lot of fun both on set and in post with the animation. The overall approach was simply "fun". On set I cranked music by Mika for the actors to react to at the desk. It's hard to sit still to that music (lots of head bobbing, and toe tapping).

To see the completed spots go here.

2010-05-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

When I was about 12 years old my parents decided to put a television upstairs in the kids bedroom. I'm guessing that when they did this they did not figure that I would set my alarm for 12:30am to watch The Late Night Show with Conan O'Brien from my top bunk while my sister slept below. But that is exactly what happened.

Two weeks ago McKay and I drove 12 hours for less than a 24 hour stay in Spokane, Washington
just to see this guy. And was it worth it? Yes sir.

I'm not much for celebrities, and I'm certainly not one to go crazy over a sighting, but when I heard I would get the chance to meet Conan I FREAKED OUT. Total fan girl squealing, jumping up and down kind of freak out. McKay knew a guy who knew a guy who could get us backstage, and long story short, we met Conan. We chatted about cab drivers and greek fisherman, late night television and Diff'rent Strokes. It was pretty much everything I ever dreamed it would be.

Team Coco Forever.

Coming June 23, 2010

2010-05-01T18:37:00.000-07:00

How excited are we about buying our first house??

VERY.

After 7 long years of apartment dwelling, we're finally ready to dive head first into the world of home ownership. In 7 weeks we will be the rightful owners of 2100 square feet of loveliness, and we couldn't be happier.

Countless hours are now spent watching the Home & Garden channel, wandering the isles of Home Depot just for the heck of it, and talking endlessly of landscaping, sectionals, accent walls, chandeliers, oversized sitting chairs, coffee tables, paint swatches... it's a sickness.

We'll post more pictures as we get closer. Here's the latest:

A Blog for Stacy (because she's got to be the only one still checking our blog...)

2010-04-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

Hi, Stacy! Thanks for checking in again! This time you are rewarded for your dedication and patience!

Spring has sprung in Oregon! What a wonderful time of year this is. I am so enjoying watching the buds on the trees burst into life and thinking about a lovely summer ahead. We will barbeque. We will stay up too late watching movies. We will visit the beach and make a big fire and eat (vegan friendly) smores.

Right now I am listening to the Glee version of My Life Would Suck Without You and thinking of the karaoke night that started at Lizzy and Devon's, and ended in the parking lot of an abandoned Thai Restaurant. Good times.

I will close now with my appreciation to you, Stace, for keeping the faith. This blog is certainly not worth the constant vigil that you have kept. Nevertheless, I'm grateful. So I dedicate this blog to the celebration of you.

Gravy Trials

2009-11-30T23:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009.

Gravy Trials from McKay Marshall on Vimeo.

For Rent

2009-11-21T17:02:00.000-08:00

The title of "home owner" feels pretty foreign to the both of us. Over the past 6.5 years of our marriage, we have lived in 10 different apartments. Needless to say, we're rented out. Today Amanda and I looked at some Centex homes and Amanda became so giddy with excitement, I had to pull out the camera. Perhaps the house fairies will visit in 2010.

The Halloween that Could have Been

2009-11-18T14:11:00.000-08:00

The banana is not a good look... for anyone.

2009-11-06T12:59:00.000-08:00

Loving this season's:

MUST GET THESE:

Need to organize this:

Wish it looked like this:

Reading:

Highly anticipating:

Been thinking seriously about getting one of these:

Tis the season:

...that's all.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T15:28:00.000-08:00

This year we participated in our ward Trunk-or-Treat. We were so happy to pass out loads of candy and win the "Best Trunk" award– which was a big bowl of candy. I guess we broke even.

After Trunk-or-Treat we headed over to the Flaherty's to watch the girls dig in to all of their loot. Good times.

Can you tell what we were? Does it look like we're even wearing costumes?

The Perfect Lunch

2009-10-19T13:39:00.000-07:00

It was too beautiful not to photograph. Oh, and it's cream soda.

The Bull of The Woods

2009-09-02T00:33:00.000-07:00

Last week Ryan and I went on a 30 mile backpacking excursion into The Bull of The Woods Wilderness just east of Salem, OR. It was a loop hike, so we stashed the car and headed up the mountain. The first part of the hike was a 1000 foot elevation gain in 3 miles and I was a bit leary to start out with such a climb. Thankfully Ryan had just finished the final Harry Potter book and talked about it for 4 miles straight. It was a great way to start the journey. By the end of day 1 we had hiked about 6 miles and camped at the very secluded, twin lakes. For dinner we ate our own concoction of stovetop stuffing, dry gravy mix and pouch-chicken. It was delicious but it looked like gruel. We decided to call it "Trail Dumplings; aka Prison Chicken".

Day 2 was met bright and early with hot cocoa and oatmeal. The lake was glass and the air was earily still. After pumping 4 liters of water to fill our (water) bladders, we packed up and hit the trail again. The trail climbed steadily bringing us along a ridge that overlooked the middle of the wilderness. At about 5 miles we started a steep succession of switchbacks bringing us up another 800 to 900 feet. It was at this point when we drank the last of our water. Our destination was another lake so we weren't too woried. We tried to stop for lunch, but the meat bees were so numerous, it was just easier to eat on the move. Wheat thins, dried salami, and a string cheese.

At 9 miles I stopped to dig out an ingrown toenail, and Ryan spotted an old abandoned fire lookout on the summit of a nearby peak. With my boot back on, we ditched our packs and headed up the 2 mile spur trail hoping to get a glimpse from the lookout.

The views didn't disappoint. From way up here we could see a 360º panorama of the entire mountain range. Ryan desperately tried to get cell service to surprise his wife with a mid-hike phone call, but to no avail. From the lookout we could see our destination lake at the bottom of Big Slide mountain. It looked like a small puddle from where we stood 1100 feet above it. It would be another 3.1 miles from the lookout to the lake, ending our day at just about 12 miles.

With worn feet and rubbery legs, we dropped into the lake. The trail was so terribly maintained, we had to climb over fallen trees (many up to our chest) while descending. The trees were so long, we scaled the same one 4 times as the trail zig-zagged underneath it. Finally we were at the lake, and the only thing left to do was jump into its inviting, albeit mosquito and salamander infested waters.

That night we ate like kings: terriyaki rice with more pouch chicken, beef jerky, and dried mango. It was all gone in minutes.

Day 3 brought more oatmeal and cocoa. It also brought a mushroom which we tried to ignight with a sparker. It didn't work (Bear Grylls did it... he must have used a matchlight mushroom). Knowing the climb ahead of us, we powerd up by splitting an energy bar. An hour later we were 900 feet up and out of the lake, and the hard part of the day was over. So we thought.

What we didn't know was that the next 2 miles would drop us 1700 feet over more fallen trees, through thick brush, down massive rocky slides. After turning our knees into taffy, we found a sign at the bottom of the pass. It read: "Trail abandoned; no maintanence". Thanks.

It was time for a break, lunch, and maybe a nap. We sat on a mossy log and ate tuna wraps with a couple more power bars. Ryan watched an ant carry an impossible piece of wood, and I stared at the backs of my eyelids.

The loop we were on was meant to be done in 4 or 5 days, but we were aiming at 3. After lunch we crossed battle creek; a decent river in a rocky gorge. Like all rivers crossings, the trail was not immediately obvious on the other side, and we were caught in a narrow channel, with water on one side, and a wall on the other. Ryan opted to scale a 25 foot rock face to find the trail, and I opted to not. Near the top, he momentarily lost his footing and had to leap like tarzan into the air while grabbing a nearby tree branch. Then, with his belly against the rock wall, he could only do a massive pull-up (with a 20 lb pack on, mind you) to get to the top of the ridge. It was awesome. While that looked like fun and all, I wandered another 15 feet downstream to where the trail picked up.

More water was pumped, and we were onto our final leg. It was only supposed to be 3 or 4 miles, but it went on for ever and ever and ever. Fortunately, this part of the trail was flat and sparsely wooded. So the scenery was nice, but the sun was going down, and the trail was not ending. Somewhere beyond the forest our getaway vehicle sat waiting to take us to the nearest Carl's Jr. But it didn't show itself for about 3 hours. After coming all this way, our pace became so slow. We were hammered. The paint on the roof of my 11-year-old Accord is badly peeling; but it never looked so nice as we rounded the final steps to reveal it. We were through.

With three days of amazing scenery, clean air, delicious food, and plenty of good-ole' Marshall-boy-gabbin', this hike was everything it needed to be.

Oregon State Fair

2009-08-30T22:18:00.000-07:00

A new tradition is born with our dear friends Ryan, Linda, Bryn, and Audrey Flaherty. The Oregon State Fair opened last Friday night, and we were all there to enjoy the sights, smells, and more smells (the latter refers, of course, to the plentiful potent livestock present in any fair).

The Oregon State Fair comes complete with over 300 ways to clog your arteries. The highlight of the food was a terrific crepe with Nutella™ and strawberries. The big food mistake was a deep-fried Twinkie™. Let's just say that a sponge-cake deep fried in nasty oil is simply a nasty-oil cake.

And what trip to any fair would be complete without dropping $20 to win an inflatable hammer, or stuffed cow? All and all, we had a great time. We came, we ate, we listened to really bad Johnny Cash covers. We learned what makes a ram a ram (it's really quite obvious, once you see one), why cows are shorn before judging, and how many famous north western mountains can be modeled from curly-fries.

Till next time State Fair, till next time.

Funny.

2009-08-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

Bizzaro McKay and Amanda

2009-08-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

This is weird:

http://mckayandamandajones.blogspot.com

I hope McKay and Amanda don’t mind me linking to their blog…

2009-08-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

Just got this:

And this:

I'm quite excited about both.

Boredness

2009-07-28T15:16:00.001-07:00

When one's husband goes camping for a week with the young men in the ward, and one has an entire Monday night to oneself and stays up way too late watching TV and eating starburst and kit kat, one begins to think that this is a really really REALLY good investment.

It's called the Neckline Slimmer. Look into it.

I also thought seriously about buying a car this morning. And I've watched this Youtube video about 5 times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-94JhLEiN0

5 more days until McKay comes home!

Nutshell

2009-07-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

So, I'm going to try this again. But I thought before moving on to current news, I would highlight events of the past few months.

March 2009: DLand

After a grueling couple of months, we decided, yet again, that Disneyland is (and always will be) the cure all. I think that this trip will always be a favorite memory of mine. Every moment was exactly as it should have been. Although we did realize that we're not as young as we used to be... I am ashamed to say that on one occasion I did have to return to the hotel before the park closed to take a small nap. I hope my family will not think less of me.

**Left: One of my favorite pictures from a Disneyland "photographer". The beheaded man next to Minnie is McKay. Right: My first ever experience on Tower of Terror. There was much screaming.***

April 2009: McKay turns 28/Visit from Leanne and Isaac

We do have pictures of McKay's birthday, but they are on film and have yet to be developed. We spent a beautiful weekend hiking in Cape Falcon along the Oregon Coast, which turned out to be another all time favorite memory. It was an absolutely gorgeous trail, and we had the whole 15 miles to ourselves. Not a soul in sight until we reached the campground. Which turned out to be condemned. But that's another story.

Leanne came to visit and brought the most adorable baby ever to grace the planet. Also known as my nephew. I loved every moment they were here and cried buckets when they left. Isaac learned to crawl at my house, ironically enough, the one hour Leanne left him in my care so she could go for a massage. Luckily, we grabbed a bit of video so his mama could see his big moment.

May 2009: Paul's Graduation/Giants Vs. Braves/Camping and More Camping

We took a trip back to Fresno to be there for Paul's big day. It was a grand event, and the Webster clan was all brimming with pride. Brother graduated with honors and proved himself to be a master scholar.

A good day in San Francisco means a light breeze, good food, hanging with family and the Giants obliterating the Braves 8-2.

While I was away, McKay took a much needed male bonding trip with the other Marshall men. They finally got the chance to backpack all together, and it seems to have been quite the success, despite some chilly evening temperatures.

On the drive back to Oregon we decided to crash a camping trip as a sort of farewell hurrah with dearest of friends. Derek, Amy, Jack-Jack, us, and amazingly large sand dunes. The largest in the country, to be exact. Another fond memory to treasure always.

How has McKay never broken a bone?

June 2009: Anniversary/GRADUATION!!!/Amanda's Birthday

June 14, 2009 marked 6 years of our little life together. We decided to lay low this year, with barbecued filet mignon, Martinellis and a trip down memory lane. It was heavenly. I heart my hunky husband.

**It was after I saw this picture that I decided we have GOT to paint. It looks like we live in a hospital.**

The much anticipated graduation day came on a rainy but delightful Friday. We were so happy that most of the family was able to make it (those that couldn't make it were sorely missed) and we partied hardy.

I turned 27, which just doesn't seem right. How can that be?? Anyway, Mom and Dad were still in town so we were able to celebrate with them. And my darling, wonderful, cracker jack husband gave me a dream come true in the form of an enlarger, a safelight, and some smelly chemicals. :)

**Disbelief**

**Still in shock**

July has been fairly uneventful, as McKay is working 6 days a week on his current freelancing project, and I am working 6 days a week at my jobs (Nike and weekend weddings with Alicia Dickerson Photography).

But who knows? Perhaps I'll have this month's wrap up pictures and events recorded on the blog before the end of the year. :)

25 Random Things About Me.

2009-02-09T22:18:00.000-08:00

This was a little facebook time-kill activity, but I thought why not add it to the blog as well? We'll put McKay's list up here when he gets around to his...

1. When I was a kid I only wore converse. I had them in many colors, and my favorite pair were yellow.
2. I prefer salty to sweet. I would take french fries over a piece of cake any day.
3. I just can't stand Oprah.
4. Some of my favorite memories are of me riding in the passenger's seat of my dad's truck in the summertime, listening to AM radio and eating sunflower seeds. Going nowhere in particular, just running errands and hanging out.
5. I do not like to sing in front of people. Unless it's karaoke, and then I am all over that.
6. I have only kept one plant alive in my entire lifetime. It was from Ikea, and I paid 1.99 for it. I'm proud to say that my plant continues to flourish.
7. I'm 26 but I look about 18. I'm starting to enjoy the fact that I look much younger than I am.
8. My husband is my very best friend. We laugh at least 1000 times a day.
9. I'm on the lookout for a vintage pink beach cruiser with a basket. I'm pretty sure that would complete my life.
10. I want to travel EVERYWHERE. There really isn't one place that I wouldn't want to see and learn from.
11. I feel so lucky to have the summer that I had this past year. It has changed me for the better and I know it is a time in my life I will never forget.
12. I have really bad circulation in my hands and feet and can literally suck the heat out of those that I cling to for warmth. It's pretty much a superpower.
13. It really bugs me when people pronounce Nevada "Nuh Vah Duh" instead of "Ne VAD Uh" .
14. I love baseball and really miss going to Giants games in San Fran. I'm stuck with American League up here.
15. I have green eyes. That's kinda rare, right?
16. I'm obsessed with Target. When I lived in Montana this summer I would go to Target when I felt homesick and it made me feel better because the smell was familiar and I knew where everything was. Sad. I know.
17. I purchased the Ronco knives from an infomercial. Big surprise, they suck.
18. I am a total nerd for Star Wars. I love it.
19. I get very angry when I have to sit in traffic. I wish I didn't, but I do.
20. I tell people I'm 5'5" but really I'm 5'4". There, I said it.
21. I wish that I lived in the 40's and could go dancing with my guy and wear red nail polish and cute dresses all the time.
22. If I was stuck on a deserted island and could take only one album with me, it would have to be John Mayer's Contiuum. Or maybe Where the Light Is. Either way, John Mayer, for sure.
23. I am really excited that I have tickets to see Wicked in March. I keep them on my refrigerator, and every time I see them I get excited all over again.
24. It's a Wonderful Life is my all time favorite movie, and I will love Jimmy Stuart until forever.
25. I'm feisty.

Attention friends and family,

2009-02-09T16:26:00.001-08:00

Last night there was an incident involving my cell phone and a glass of ginger ale. Long story short, I now have an ale logged phone that holds all of my phone numbers that I cannot retrieve. So, if you ever want me to call you again, would you please email me your number to be added to my new phone?

I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Thank you.

Best parts of the day

2009-02-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

Dollar Tree. You complete me with your predictable prices and endless possibilities for cheapo handouts for Sunday's lesson.
The smell of rainbow chip cupcakes baking in the oven. Mmmm.
A freshly mopped kitchen. Lysol needs to make a cologne.
Talking to Paulo about the next time we get to walk the doggies together. If only I could walk to Nana's house and come to get him as he suggested...
Catching up with old friends and my mom without having to worry about rollover minutes.
Listening to new tunes on my new portable speakers that I can carry through the house with me wilst I'm cleaning. Christmas gift courtesy of the main squeeze.
SUNSHINE. BLESSED, BLESSED SUNSHINE.

2009-01-30T12:43:00.001-08:00

This morning when I stepped outside I slipped on the icy street and fell on my bum. McKay ran to my aid and ended up on his back. We have not stopped laughing about it yet.

Rejoining the blogging world

2009-01-25T19:21:00.000-08:00

This blog is beyond sad. We have not been exactly diligent about keeping this thing current, but today is a new day, and we are turning over a new leaf...

Updates from the last couple of months-- Christmas came and went, with a rather eventful couple of weeks in California visiting family and old friends, as well as meeting our In n Out quota. I believe the final count was 6 burgers in 2 weeks. And no, we don't feel good about that.

And now we are filling our days with school and work, and anxiously awaiting Wednesday nights to roll around again. Oh Lost, how we've missed you..

So here are a few pictures just for funsies.

McKay played keyboard in an 80's cover band a few weeks back...

And the cowbell. It was completely awesome.

Here I am with a rendition of Hit Me With Your Best Shot. Also, completely awesome. To the right is fun Portland friend, Kristen.

Took some pictures of a very cute family. (McKay's sister, Shelley, and her family)

She is that cute all the time.

Laura and I on our wedding day. Or her birthday. One of the two.

Here we are, the Christmas Cuddlers!

I got to visit with Spiderman over the holidays. He and I pretty much saved the world. In between hanging out in the Thomas Train tunnel and watching Wall-E.

It was serious business.

Also, I don't think I ever mentioned it, but this was the first year that I did Thanksgiving WITHOUT A MOM TO HELP ME. We invited friends over, and it turned out remarkably well. Above is proof that I can indeed rock an apple caramel pie with a lattice top and a brown sugar glaze.

Now that we are up to date, the idea of blogging will not seem so daunting. Stay tuned.

I Picked a Good One.

2008-12-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

So basically I became obsessed with the idea of getting a Christmas tree the minute Thanksgiving was over and done with. I'm usually a little more reasonable, but since we are traveling back home to Clovis for Christmas and I would only be able to enjoy a Christmas tree in my house for a couple of weeks, I was seriously determined to get one asap.

McKay has had finals and major deadlines, but because he loves his wife (and probably more likely because he knew I wouldn't stop talking about it until we got one) he raced home from work on Monday by 3pm and we headed out. In typical Portland fashion, the clouds came in, the sky darkened, and it started raining just as we got on our way to the U-cut tree farm. We decided to keep going. Okay, I decided we should keep going, but McKay is a good sport.

I had my heart set on a specific Christmas farm that a friend had told me about-- hot apple cider, beautiful trees, they even take your picture! Unfortunately, I couldn't remember how to get there. At all. It turns out I had absolutely no idea where we were going. But lucky for us, like a ray of hope, we drove past a little sign of a spray painted Christmas tree with an arrow and decided that would have to do. After a few twists and turns we met up with Old Man Christmas Tree Farm, who was sharpening tools in his barn. He gave us a saw and pointed to his beautiful trees, and kindly let us know that he was closing in an hour.

By this point it was pretty much pitch dark. I was examining trees about 3 inches away from my face, as McKay would randomly select one and say, "Whaddabout this one?" After a hurried effort, we selected a tree and my mountain man of a husband cut down our beautiful tree, while I gave thanks to said tree for sacrificing itself for our holiday celebrations, and assured it that it would die with dignity adorned with shiny ornaments and would be lovingly admired nightly.

After the cutting was complete, and McKay attempted to lift the tree, we realized that the car was about a half mile away, and the tree was a beast to try and lift. The geniuses (I had to have spell check correct that word for me... I think that negates the geniusness) that we are, we decided I should run back and grab the car, while McKay stayed with the tree. After two wrong turns (yeah, that genius thing was definitely an overstatement), I found my husband and our tree. At which time we realized, there was absolutely no way that an 8 foot tree was going to fit into the trunk of our Honda Accord. But here's where we redeem ourselves with the genius thing. Using nothing but Jumper cables and an old sheet, we fit that mother in and drove all the way home with no problems.

The next hurdle was the entry way stairs of our townhouse. Large tree + narrow stairway = hilarious.

And then came--where do we put the tree? This required moving 4 pieces of furniture, two pieces twice, and trying out the tree in several spots, before agreeing upon the right one.

Then, to decorate. Realizing that I did not have enough sparkly things to decorate my tree with, I ran out to Michaels with my 40% off coupon (thanks to dear friend Amy!) and managed to gather an assortment that I felt good about.

Three hours later ( I got a bit distracted with above mentioned friend Amy, she had never experienced 711 hot chocolate, so we had to make a side trip and of course got to talking...) I resumed the decorating responsibilities and McKay and I finished the tree at roughly 1am.

But I do have a point. At the end of the evening I went back and looked at all of the pictures we had taken of our Christmas tree excursion and noticed that in every one, McKay is happily smiling at what some husbands may have deemed a chore.

I'm so glad he loves this stuff as much as I do.

Up up down down left right left right B A start

2008-11-01T14:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I found this bad boy in the back of our linen closet and yelled down the hall to McKay, "Hey, remember how we have a nintendo?!"

Needless to say, it has now found a perma place next to our TV, and I am already beginning to have that obsessive Tetris dream again. The one where I close my eyes and can still see the pieces in my mind. Or walking into a room and seeing the furniture as Tetris pieces and thinking of how I would make them all fit together. It's unhealthy, but it's a fact of life if you're going to play.

So on a Thursday night at 2am we're sitting on the living room floor playing Super Mario Brothers (the original) and we began to reminisce about the good old Nintendo days. The days when you could waste an entire afternoon with a friend, trying to figure out where the next level was in Zelda. Or getting to the Boomerang guy in Gunsmoke and handing the controller over to your sister to help you "get through this one part."

I remember being totally enthralled watching my brother play Nintendo when I was little. He was the master in my mind. I would watch him to try to pick up some pointers, so later when he was at football practice and I snuck into his room to play, I'd know what to do.

So here we are now. Two grown adults. Saying things like, "There's a free guy hidden in that brick!" and "Wait for the lava ball to pass, then jump!" Even after all these years...

Nothing beats the original, baby.

2008-10-26T22:19:00.000-07:00

I'm:

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

And McKay is:

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

We are so MFEO.

A blog is born.

2008-08-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

We decided that our life is finally interesting enough to embark on a joint blog! We will be composing this together, sentence by sentence. Like our life, this blog will be completely awesome.

Also, I don't know if this blog will last. McKay is already backseat blogging. But he's loved.

And-- we are now official backpackers. We backpack. Here is the video to prove it.

Eagle Creek Trail from McKay Marshall on Vimeo.