Halloween

We attended my Aunt Carolyn's annual Halloween party as an ASU cheerleader and two fans.

We decided to carve a pumpkin this year. This is the first time we've carved a pumpkin together, but we had some fun. It is what I call a "pumpkin creation." Justin provided the inspiration and I did much of the cutting. We started on Monday night and finished on Tuesday, so the end result was a little droopy. 

Can you tell what it is?

On Halloween night, we headed over to our ward's Trunk or Treat for a little while before Savannah called it a night.

I love her face in this last picture! So serious!

 

And we're back!

Time flies. It has been a long time since I wrote anything on this blog. And really, I've never been too faithful about posting. I'm not going to make any resolution about how often I'm going to post, but hopefully it will be more regular than every 11 months. A lot has changed in my life since last November, and I know that out-of-town family members would like to see more of what's new.

Almost three months ago, we welcomed Savannah Dickson into our lives. Savannah was born on July 8th. The delivery was a wonderful and challenging experience, and we are so happy to have her with us!

 

About an hour and a half after her birth.

 

Later that evening.

 Leaving the hospital.

 

All tuckered out.

At one month.

I love all of her dark hair, which is now gradually falling out.

Just three days before Savannah was born, we purchased a new (to us) car. About a month after she was born, we sold our 15-year-old Mazda 626. It has been a great car, with lots of memories. It's the car we dated in, the car Justin drove back and forth to Tucson, and has brought a lot of laughs and frustration. Justin was sad to see it go, even with all the grief is has caused us. 

Savannah was blessed in our church on August 19th. We were grateful to have so many family members there with us.

This dress was worn by my mother, myself, three of my sisters, and two of Savannah's cousins.

The whole group at my grandparent's home.

 During the middle of September, we went to the annual Thomas Family Reunion with my mom's side of the family. It is always a fun time filled with good company, good food, and lots of nature to enjoy. Savannah did really well on the trip.

 

Unfortunately the only picture I took on the trip. Savannah is with her oldest cousin, Samantha, who is a pro at taking care of babies.

 With her aunt Allison and cousin Makenna, who is 9 months older than Savannah. Someday they'll be closer in size, but it is amazing to see the difference 9 months makes during that first year of life!

Savannah is smiling more and more all the time, which is so much fun. We are really enjoying being able to interact with her more.

 

Savannah reserves her best smiles for us when she is getting her diaper changed. She also loves to smile and talk to the owl on her bouncy seat. Undoubtedly because he is red, Mr. Owl has become one of her dearest friends.

 

Strange Things in the Fridge: Part Two

I opened up the fridge recently and found this inside.

You never know what will be in the fridge with Justin around. He puts his laptop in the fridge or freezer to cool it down when it is overheating or moving really slow. We bought our laptops just a semester apart, and Justin's is having a hard time keeping up with the MacBook. 

I think Justin's conversion to Apple is fully complete now.

To my gluten free philanthropist

The other evening, Justin opened the front door as he left for class and found this basket on the doorstep:

It was filled with gluten free goodies that I am too much of a penny-pincher to buy. Sadly, there was no note, but I am so grateful to this thoughtful, kind person. I only wish I could thank him or her personally. It really means a lot to have someone do something so personal, just for me. Thank you, whoever you are, for making my day.

From an Unfaithful Blogger

Sadly, I have not blogged since May. Not too much has happened since then, but life has been great. Justin is in school and I am working on my internship--it's all I have left before I get my diploma! I should be done by December/January. Justin is also busy preparing for the MCAT. He plans on taking it in early February.

Some fun things we've done in the last few months:

Making Peruvian food. We made juanes and fried yucca. The juanes are little packets of seasoned rice, chicken, and hard-boiled egg wrapped in a banana leaf. They are boiled in water and then ready to eat. I liked them that night, but I could not stomach the leftovers. Luckily, Justin loved them and said they tasted just like he remembered. We also fried yucca, a root that he ate on his mission. It is very odd--somewhat stringy and sweet.

The annual Thomas Family Reunion. It is held up at a camp north of Lake Roosevelt. It is always lots of fun and the weather was great. We enjoyed picking apples, playing in the creek, and just having fun with family. This is the only picture I took--my Dad and two cute kids.

In August, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. You can read more about what it is on my sister's blog here. I kicked off my gluten-free diet with a "Farewell Gluten" party. We ate some of my favorite foods with gluten and had a lovely time. My mother made this clever sign:

ASU Football. We are enjoying cheering on the Sun Devils this year!

To sum it up....

I am again catching up on lots of happenings. We have been busy the past few months, but have had a lot of fun.

On April 30th, Justin's younger sister Kacy got married in the Manti, Utah LDS Temple. Justin and I were able to do a session before Kacy and Ryan were sealed in the Temple. The Temple was beautiful and the day was very cool! This was my first opportunity to witness a marriage in the Temple (besides my own), so I enjoyed watching the ceremony.



They had a reception in Utah that evening at a beautiful reception center, Wadley Farms. Justin and I enjoyed dancing and eating delicious crepes! It was a fun, tiring weekend.


The next weekend, the party came down to Arizona for a ring ceremony and reception at the Wright House. Both receptions were beautiful, and it was so wonderful to see Kacy so happy and welcome Ryan into the family. We just wish they lived in Arizona so we could spend more time with them!


A few weeks later, after the stress of finals, we finished school! Justin did very well in all his classes, and I graduated--at last! It feels so strange to already be done with college. In many ways it feels like I just started. I graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Music Therapy. Although I have finished my coursework, I still need to complete an internship before receiving my diploma. My internship is with a local music therapist sees clients in homes, at a preschool, and at a therapy clinic. She is a really wonderful person and therapist. I feel very lucky to be able to learn from her over the next 6 months of my internship!


About a week after graduation, Justin and I headed off to the east coast, thanks to Justin's grandparents, Lee and Nola. Lee had arranged for Justin to meet a leading surgeon at Johns Hopkins University, where Lee did his undergraduate and graduate work. It was a wonderful opportunity for Justin, and we both enjoyed learning about some of the research going on there.

Perhaps the best part of the trip was spending so much time with Lee and Nola. They really treated us so well. They drove us around the city, showing us the homes they lived in growing up and as a couple, the church where they were married, and the schools they attended. We also went to a pizzeria where they went on one of their first dates. It was such an enjoyable trip!



Another highlight of Baltimore was the crab cakes! Justin was VERY excited about them!


After several days in Baltimore, we traveled down to Richmond, Virginia to see my sister Lisa and her family. We enjoyed spending time with Lisa and Drew and their cute children. Drew graduated from medical school that weekend and had family in town, so we were very grateful for their kindness in letting us stay with them during a busy time.


Justin became Mitchell's best friend pretty quickly!


While in Richmond, we visited the Museum and White House of the Confederacy. It was quite educational. In a city where some still call the Civil War the "War of Northern Aggression," it was interesting to see how that war impacted and was viewed by the people of the South.


We spent one day driving up to visit the Washington, D.C. Temple, and went back to D.C. the next day to visit Mount Vernon, Arlington National Cemetery, and the National Mall. It was a wonderful trip! We are so grateful we were able to visit with family, see historical sites, and be together.

I came home from school the other day and found this in the fridge! I had to take a picture to show Justin later. It made me laugh so much!

How can this not make you so happy? I love having these geraniums outside my front door. They bloomed a little while ago and we've been wanting to get a picture. I am so grateful for the simple things that make life so beautiful.