Mr. and Mrs. Bagley

Maintenance

2012-01-08T20:13:00.000-05:00

Why hello there! It's been almost exactly two months since my last post wherein I explained I was going to stop actively trying to loose weight. I worked out about once a week for a few weeks... That didn't last long. Basically, I haven't worked out in over a month! I'm sure I'm not nearly in the shape I had worked myself into but I'm very happy to report I've kept my weight well under control. Life did get really crazy there for a while as I started my new job and we moved to High Point. But now, things have settled down. I've gotten comfortable in my job, and we're all unpacked in our new place (although we are still in that stage where all our stuff is out and where it should be, but nothing is on the walls yet).

So it's time to start thinking about losing again. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The last time I posted I didn't even have a job in NC yet! Since November, I got a job as a Coding Auditor for Cornerstone Healthcare. I interviewed with them on a Monday afternoon, they called me on the drive home to offer me the job, and I was starting there exactly two weeks later, the Monday after Thanksgiving. It's unbelievable how much we've been blessed. It's never easy to pick up everything in your life and start completely over. New job for me, new school for Baden, new job for Baden too (just at a different Papa John's store) and a new apartment for us. But all of those little pieces fell into place so quickly and easily. I'm loving my job, we are loving our apartment and ward, and Baden starts school tomorrow! We still find ourselves pausing to take stock of how much our lives have changed and improved in such a short amount of time.

So with all that nice, rose-colored-glasses stuff out of the way, it's back to the gym for me! When I started maintaining, I just wanted to make sure I stayed under 153. That was my benchmark for loosing 25 pounds and I didn't want to go back over it. But I've done better then that! I'm actually 148.0. That's 30 pounds! The lowest I've seen on the scale so far is 147.8. Most of the time I've been in the 149-ish range. A big thing I changed when I started maintaining as opposed to loosing is I've weighed myself just about every day. I didn't do that when I was trying to loose because I would only be happy if the number was smaller. But with maintaining, I was usually ecstatic with what I saw on the scale. Again, as long as the number was under 153, I was content.

I've gotten back into bad food habits, though. I love junk food and I haven't shied away from it (why would I since my weight is staying the same?). Since the first go-round started with me changing my eating habits first, I tried doing that this time. But it's been a lot harder! I think because I'm happier with how I look now, it's harder to turn down little indulgences when I want them (which is a lot). So my strategy this time is different. I'm starting back with the exercise side of it first, and hoping that I'll want to eat healthier, so I'm not just wasting my time in the gym. Does that make sense?

Also, our new apartment has a little gym that's open 24-hours. You just get a code that opens the door and you can go whenever! So now, I'm going to try and exercise before work. As in, get up at 5:45, be back at the apartment by 6:45 and out the door for work at 7:45 since I have to be there at 8. Am I crazy? I have never been good at getting up early to exercise... We'll see. If it doesn't pan out, I can always go after work right? Right.

Sorry I don't have more wisdom when it comes to maintenance. But I am VERY excited to get back into a work out routine and start loosing weight again. I started out at 178 and now I'm 148, with an end goal weight of 128 (which I determined by looking for what the healthy weight range is for my height of 5'6"). Plus, I like the nice round number of 50 pounds. 30 down, 20 to go!

Halfway Point

2011-11-07T18:41:00.001-05:00

Hey everybody! I had a light bulb moment today : loosing weight has been stressing. me. out.

Do you want to know one of the huge reasons why I decided to commit to working out and blogging about it? Because I was bored senseless. I was used to having a project and long-term goals for myself. Once I got out of school and started working, I felt so stagnant in my life. Don't get me wrong, Baden and I have long-term goals together, but they mostly involve him being in school and reaching certain milestones with nursing. What I needed was to be moving forward with something for me. I guess I felt school filled that void while I was in it, but once I started just going to work and coming home everyday, I was unfulfilled and restless. Loosing weight had been on my mind a lot and I decided that would be my long term project.

But here's the thing. I'm far from bored anymore. For anyone that doesn't know, we are trying to move to Greensboro at the end of this year. As in less than two months. So I've been applying to jobs, worrying about getting a job in time, thinking about what we would do if I didn't get one...etc...etc...

Here's what all this boils down to. Working out doesn't leave me with a lot of free time. Which was fine when I was bored. But now it's become this vicious circle where if I don't exercise, I feel guilty until I go again. If I do exercise, I'm left with so little down time that I quickly get depressed. It's really to the point where the only time in my week that I'm content and relaxed is Saturday afternoons because I can work out that morning and have the rest of the day to chill out. (Sidebar: Can you tell I'm no where near ready for a kid? I still have at least 2-3 hours to myself everyday and it's not enough! Because that 2-3 hours sill has to have housework and getting stuff ready for the next day factored in! Anyways....)

I'm at about the halfway point in my weight loss, having lost 25 lbs. (The lowest number I've seen on the scale has been 151.8, just FYI) I'm thinking what I need to do for my sanity is to be in maintenance mode for a while. I certainly don't want to put any back on, but I just can't handle the stress of trying to loose more right now. Hopefully we can be nice and settled in Greensboro in a couple months, and then I can start again. I'll still be working out a couple times a week, that's part of maintaining. I'm just tired of beating myself up if I don't go more than that.

Don't worry, I'll still be blogging! This will still mark the first time I actively try to maintain my weight. And by the way, I can't thank you all enough for your encouragement and love! And if any of you know of a coding job in Greensboro, hook me up. :)

Lately

2011-10-12T19:48:00.001-04:00

Holy crap I haven't blogged for a whole month?! Guess so. Well, as you might have seen on facebook, I've lost a total of 20 pounds! Booyah! 158 baby!

My plan was to not weigh myself for a whole month. I was getting too obsessed with seeing the numbers change at least a little bit every day. For a while, seeing that I "lost" even a tenth of a pound every day kept me motivated. Then one day, I "lost" a half a pound in one day. I put "lost" in quotations because your weight is a combination of so many factors it's ridiculous. The scale could say I lost more weight in a day just because Baden and I got in the hot tub one night, and not loose any the next day because I had a little more salt in my dinner. So to any of you out there trying to loose weight, beware! Weighing yourself every day is not a realistic representation of change!

Anyways, now I'm trying to do every two weeks. Next weigh day: Wednesday October 26th. As long as my curiosity and will power don't get the best of me before then... :)

I know I've only been doing this for about 3 months, but I feel like I have some wisdom to share.
Here's what has been working for me:

1. WALKING! I'm still an aspiring runner, but for now, walking is melting the poundage away. It helps me sweat a lot, get some rosy cheeks and heavy breathing (not to mention burning pure fat), without leaving me feeling exhausted and beat up. Basically, walking allows me to burn between 400-500 calories per workout, 5 times a week. Running was so intense I always needed a day to recover. And since I use a treadmill instead of walking outside, I can tell you I usually do 3 miles, on a speed of 3.8 and an incline of 3.

2. Little bursts of exercise. I walk the stairs going up to my floor at work every morning and after lunch. A total of 8 flights. I also have little 5 pound weights I've been using to work on my arms and I'll do a quick set of 15 here and there at home. And I work on my abs and stretch a lot. Anything to get the blood going.

3. Working full time. I know people can't just go out and get a 40-hour-a-week job to loose weight, but I highly recommend it! For me, it's added a great sense of routine. I'll have a 100 calorie muscle milk mid-morning, a fruit smoothie I make at home for lunch, and another muscle milk a few minutes before I leave in the afternoon to help fuel my work out. And that's all I bring to work to eat everyday! I'm a snack-er at heart and so not being home all day with all my food available all the time has been invaluable.

4. Knowing the difference between hungry, thirsty, and just bored. I eat when I'm hungry, drink water when I'm thirsty, and chew sugar-free gum when I'm bored. Chewing gum helps get my mind off snacking just 'cause and I can think about doing something else instead. Hint: try Extra's Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream gum. They have a bunch of dessert flavors that are awesome.

Any of you out there trying to loose some weight? Keep your chin up kid! You can do it! I don't mean to be a cliche, and I'm not at a maintenance phase yet, but seriously. If I can do it, you can do it!

Decisions

2011-09-08T20:38:00.000-04:00

It's been a while. Thought I had given up?

No way, Jose! Still going strong over here. Quick update on some other stuff: I got called to nursery, Baden doesn't have a calling yet, I still work full time, Baden's hours are picking up at Papa John's, we went to Greensboro over Labor Day weekend, and I've reached Job in the Old Testament. Did you know Job is 40 freaking chapters long?! Now you do.

While we were in Greensboro I got to play with my adorable and brilliant niece Halle. I say brilliant because she is constantly making up words and songs and jokes. I don't think a lot of three year old's do that. The jokes didn't make much sense, but still. Example, "What kind of pig lost his valentine's card? Because he ate the other pig!" That's how they all went: Q: What kind of... A: Because he....
Again, adorable and brilliant.

What's been on my mind lately about losing weight is all the decisions you have to make. I thought (I think most people think like this), "Okay, so I want to loose a fairly substantial amount of weight, but it's not like it's 100 pounds. I'll just eat healthy and exercise and in way less than a year I can reach my goal!" I glossed over all the decisions. I make about a billion specific decisions every day concerning food and exercise. I consider it a decision every single minute I don't run to the vending machine across the hall at work and get the cookie dough bites. What sort of sadistic work environment allows cookie dough bites in a vending machine?! Those little drops of heaven only belong in a movie theater! Everybody knows that!

Anyways. Decisions. I decide I'm going to eat something healthy when I'm hungry. I decide to stop when I'm full or have had enough. I decide I'm not going to eat any more because I'm not hungry anymore. I decide to put on gym clothes. I decide to lace up my shoes. I decide to get on the treadmill. I decide to keep going for a good amount of time.

I knew this would be hard work, but I didn't realize it would require so much thought and will power every single second! But hey, it's paying off. I hit 163.0 this morning. That's exactly 15 pounds gone, baby! Woooooo!!!

Babe. Not in a good way.

2011-08-22T20:24:00.003-04:00

Let me be the first to throw my hands up, shrug, and admit that I know nothing. NOTHING.

People, I have been pigging out so much I'm starting to oink and grow a curly little tail. Seriously. I have eaten everything that has tickled my fancy lately.

It all started by celebrating losing 10 pounds (I was at 168.2... before I turned into Babe, that is.) I mentioned it at work and all of the sudden everyone in my office was congratulating me. Is that what people do when you loose weight? "I overheard you say you've lost 10 pounds, congratulations!" It's just never happened to me before. I realized it is kind of a milestone, so I gave myself a night off from working out and the ESWL. That night turned into a whole weekend... and has extended into this work week. Bad idea. Horrible idea. I'm all for giving yourself a break and indulging in that craving you just can't stand anymore. But this was more than that. It made me feel completely different. I stopped getting that little warning voice in my head that had been saying, "You're working so hard! Don't eat that!"

Let's just say I made some brownies, but before baking them, I sat down with the bowl and ate as much batter as I wanted. And once they were baked, I had my fair share. I also bought a bag of my new favorite chips. They are UTZ brand called "The Crab Chip." I guess it's like crab seasoning on a potato chip. Baden describes them as barbecue flavor without the sweetness. These puppies will satisfy any salty/crunchy craving in the world. I highly recommend them. Brownies and chips. That's basically what my menu has been.

So naturally, I've been pretty down on myself and trying to brace for what the scale would say. Sure enough, I had put back on a couple pounds. But not as much as I thought I would. I've been eating a little better at work, but the exercise component has been non existent. HOWEVER. I weighed myself first thing this morning. 168.2. I'm right back down to my lowest so far. Without doing anything.

I don't share this with you to make you jealous or even to say that it's unfair. It's just weird, you know? Like I said in the beginning, I know nothing, nada, zilch, about weight loss.

To back track a little, I tried to work out Monday but when I got to the little cardio room every machine was taken! I've really wanted my own treadmill lately and that made me even more motivated to get one. I think I've proven to Baden that I would use one if we bought it, and I'd really like to exercise before work instead of after. So, I emailed a woman on Craigslist who was selling hers for $50! She had gotten other offers so I said I'd give her $75 for it. Long story short, we are going over Saturday night to check it out/hopefully buy it. Basically as long as it works and keeps track of my mileage, I'll take it!

In the meantime, I really need some motivation to work out after work. The more you don't, the more you won't... The more you don't, the more you won't...

Keepin' On

2011-08-14T16:39:00.002-04:00

Hey people. Yeah, I'm still writing about losing weight. Deal with it. :)

I do have other things going on in life. For example, Baden and I have had a whirlwind weekend of going to DC for a wedding, to Buena Vista the next day for the reception, and back to Buena Vista today to visit our old ward. We got to see some friends we adore and miss, and try a new cuisine! Iranian Kabobs. They were delicious! I ate way to much naan. It's kind of like a puffy, soft, warm saltine cracker without the salt. But good.

The thing about having a fun weekend visiting different places is that temptation to stray from my ESWL was all around. As SOON as I said, "Oh, not eating fast food is easy for me, it's not a big deal" I wanted some Popeyes chicken somethin' fierce! We just had one open here in Roanoke and it's right across the street from a Krispy Kreme. Last night, Baden was craving a doughnut and our friend Adam Cubbage, who was riding with us, wanted to get some food. So we headed for the Krispy Kreme/Popeyes/Center For All That Is Evil area of town. I'll be honest, I thought I was going to break. I started thinking, "Maybe it's about time for a cheat night, maybe it wouldn't be too bad if I just had a couple bites of doughnut and just some chicken without fries." Luckily, when we got there, Krispy Kreme was already closed. Popeyes was smelling mighty fine, but I had a profound realization. Those places will still be there when I've lost weight and can go easier on myself with the ESWL. I had to VOW to myself that I would get some eventually and that's what kept me from straying.

For now, the weight loss is coming along! I was 170.4 on Saturday, down almost eight pounds. I feel like I've been doing this FOREVER so it seems like it's coming off really slowly. I just have to remind myself that losing about a pound a week is what's healthy for someone my size and try to stay... uggghh... patient.

I'm hoping that getting into better and better shape will help it come off a little faster. If I can do more cardio for a longer period of time, that means I'm physically able to burn more calories per workout and the weight should come off a little faster, right? I have absolutely nothing to back that idea up, though.

We got to see our friends Matt and Holli (http://mattandhollicoats.blogspot.com/)this weekend and Holli is a running machine. She's run several races by now and told me about a 5k coming up in December in DC. This one: http://www.hotchocolate15k.com/dc/ That's right, a chocolate themed race sponsored by Ghirardelli! Just the motivation I need! I convinced Baden to sign up too (I mean, you get a windbreaker AND hot chocolate AND chocolate fondue afterwards). December 3rd. My first 5k. Here I come!

Philosophies

2011-08-10T21:31:00.002-04:00

Hello, again. With this new fitness kick I'm on, I'm staying away from too many hard and fast rules. If I tried to tell myself I couldn't have any sugar or bread until I reached my goal weight, I would be at Panera stuffing my face with a chocolate croissant before you could say, "addict."

So instead, I'm simply trying to live by a few philosophies about food. And since I hate the word "diet," let's call it my Eating Strategy for Weight Loss. My ESWL, if you will. The first and most general rule of my ESWL is actually an old saying. Eat like a king at breakfast, a prince at lunch and a pauper at dinner. By far, the most calories I consume in a day are in the morning. If I'm craving something bad at night, I do my darndest to hold off until the morning. And then I eat a cookie as part of my breakfast. No, seriously! I can be pretty sure I'll burn that cookie off within the course of a day. What I don't want to do is eat it and then sleep for 7 or 8 hours.

Also, night is the only time I'm concerned about carbs. I eat peanut butter sandwiches and oatmeal all the time, but not at night. The whole Atkins, extreme no-carb thing isn't for me and frankly, I don't think it's healthy at all. However, every weight loss article I've ever read has told me not to do carbs at night. I won't presume to explain the science behind it, I just do it.

Basically the only "rule" I follow for the ESWL is this: no fried food and no fast food. I know that sounds like the harsh rules I was talking about in the beginning, but this one is really not a struggle for me to follow. I've never been a big fast food girl; sweets have always been my downfall. The only time I've eaten fast food in the past is when it's been convenient and/or the people around me wanted to. I've just decided to not participate. Sorry, I'll be "that guy."

I use a few philosophies to keep going to the gym too. One is the shortest, yet one of the truest sayings I've ever heard: The more you don't, the more you won't.

That's it! The more you don't do something, anything, the more it builds up in your head and becomes this big deal. All of the sudden it's a mental hurdle to jump over before you even get to the thing. If I have a hard day in the gym and I don't want to go the next day, I say to myself, "The more you don't, the more you won't." And then I try to do a little somethin' somethin'. I like a saying SVU athletics would use too, "To get what you've never had, you must do what you've never done." So true.

So there you have it. The few simple philosophies I've been using. But don't take my word for it, it has yet to be seen whether or not they work.

Consistency

2011-08-06T16:25:00.002-04:00

It has helped so much to have started writing about loosing weight. So much so that I can't tell you how much I... regret it. Kidding! Partially.

This past week was sort of a benchmark in itself. It's been a looooong, looooong time since I have done any sort of regular exercise. The only other time in my life that I did was when I was a junior in high school and got a YMCA membership. Since then I've very slowly and steadily put on weight, promising myself I'd start losing it soon. I'd work out for one day here, two days there, never lasting longer then, say, three days on a diet and exercise plan.

So to have worked out five times last week, and four this week, is sort of a really big deal. I feel like I've made a new routine for myself, a new normal. I work out in the little "gym" our apartment complex has. It consists of one treadmill, one elliptical, one stationary bike and some free weights and weight machines. It's a fine little set up and I love that it's free. The only problem is, it's open from 8:30 AM to 10PM. I have to be at work at 8:30, so exercising in the morning isn't an option. Instead, I've been going when I get home. I usually get home just a few minutes before 5:30, change clothes, walk to the "gym," work out, walk home, and shower. By the time I'm showered and all, it's already close to 7!

Trust me, there have been plenty of days when I didn't want to do it. I'm all hot and sweaty when I get home anyways since my car doesn't have air conditioning. But because I started writing, and telling you wonderful people about it, I feel like I HAVE to keep at it. That's why I regretted telling everyone at first. But don't feel guilty, it's a good thing! Because, since I forced myself to go at first, now I feel weird and lazy if I don't. Heck, only going four times this week makes me feel lazy!

Something new to keep me excited about working out is a program I'm trying that my friend Hadley introduced me to (through a comment on my last post). It's called Couch to 5k. Or "C25k." I downloaded the app on my phone for $3, and tried the week one, day one work out on Friday. Basically it ramps up your running ability slowly, but promises that you'll be able to run the full length of a 5k in 9 weeks. The very first work out has you do a 5 minute warm up walk, and then alternates between 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking, ending with a 5 minute cool down. What I love about the app is that it synced with my music (I had already made a work out playlist) and gently tells you to run or to walk when the time comes.

Friends, it wasn't pretty. But I did it. All 9 60 second runs. I'm really excited at the idea of being able to run 3 miles straight in just a little over two months. Today, since I don't want to go too hard, too fast, I just walked. BUT I was on an incline of 2, speed of 3.5, for FOUR MILES. It took about an hour and twenty minutes, but I felt great afterwards! I've also decided that Saturday is going to be Weigh Day. Since I already weighed myself earlier this week, I'll wait till next week to do it again.

Who else is working out these days? Any tips? Tell me all about it!

Inclines

2011-08-03T20:09:00.002-04:00

You know how I wrapped up the last post by saying I'm trying to be patient? Yeah. Patience sucks.

Saturday I walked a 5k on the treadmill. It took almost an hour but it was 3.1 miles. My longest yet! However, the incline thing-y was broken so it was on zero. But I thought, "You know what? I was only putting it on 1 or 2 anyways, I'm sure it doesn't make that big a difference." On Monday, I set an incline of 1. ONE. I have no idea how the incline is measured, mind you, but it was at one nonetheless.

Holy flippin' cow! It made a huge difference! My calves were burning, I couldn't go as fast, it was just sad. So because of that... new plan. Walk on 1 for a more time efficient calorie burn, run on 0 to try and get some distance to how long I can last. (longest consecutive run to date: 2 tenths of a mile. Sad? Maybe. But it's still DOUBLE what it was last time!) I know this is minutia and all, but hey, you're reading a weight loss blog. You're lucky I don't map out a daily calorie count.

So since last I blogged, I worked out Saturday, Monday, and today (Wednesday). Yesterday was hard. I just wasn't feeling it. Dieting, working out, the whole thing. For the first time my will power was really low and I started thinking about foods I hadn't eaten in a while. Internal monologue time!

"You know what I want? Potato chips. And not those awful Special K cracker chips. They might as well charge ten dollars for eating air. I'm talking fried, salty, crunchy, Lays classic potato chips in the yellow bag. I can have some, right? I mean, I've been so good lately, a few chips won't hurt anything. But no! No! I shouldn't! I JUST blogged about trying to become a runner and loosing weight in the process! What about inspiring people? What about all the good progress I've made? Oh, c'mon a few chips won't destroy all that..."

This insanity went on all day at work Tuesday. What can I say? Some days work is so repetitive is doesn't take a lot of brain power. So you know what I did? I bought myself some freakin' potato chips, that's what!

I realized that if I try to deny myself something forever, this can't go on as a long term thing. I think maybe that's what I did wrong when trying to loose weight in the past. If I ever gave in and ate something I wanted I thought, "Well! There goes the diet!" But now, I know that craving is satisfied, I know only ate one of the single serving bags, and tomorrow I can wake up and try all over again. All is not lost.

Before I ate them, I weighed myself. 172.0! With my weak will power, I just needed to see that all the hard work was paying off. And it was! I'm gonna flip when I see the 160's!

Is it weird to announce my weight on a blog? I know ladies aren't supposed to do such things. But for cryin' out loud! I know I'm going to be following it closely so why not let you in on it? I don't feel weird about it, so I hope you don't either.

Secrets

2011-07-30T10:26:00.002-04:00

Is it bad that I post so little, I feel the need to redesign the blog every time I do? Probably. Okay here's the thing. I have something new to post about more often. But first, a little update.

I deleted the posts of Idea Men. If you would like to see them, simply search "Idea Men" on YouTube and look for Baden's face in the search results. I could never figure out how to fit the video on a post so that it wasn't covering up something else. And with this new design, they were covering up my Life List. And we just can't have that.

Speaking of the Life List - it's been updated! I've crossed off "Pass the CPC exam," "Be certified in all of first aid and CPR," and "Learn to change the oil and a tire on my car." All of those things really happened! I passed the CPC test in March which makes me a certified coder and able to get a job. Oh yeah, and I have a job now. I changed the oil and a tire with Baden a few months ago and to be honest, I was glad for the experience, yet I don't feel the need to ever do it again. And I am certified in First Aid and CPR thanks to some classes Virginia Western. I think they last a year or two before I'll have to renew them.

I'm still working on reading the Bible cover to cover. Still in the Old Testament. I reached 2 Chronicles this morning. I got out of the habit of reading for a while, but I'm trying to remember to at least read a chapter on my phone over lunch at work. Hey, as long as I finish it in this life time, that's good enough, right?

Okay, back to the thing I have to post more often about, and explaining the title of this post. I have a secret. Lately I've been.... exercising.

I know, totally not like me at all. Here's the thing. I want to be honest in this blog. And to be completely honest, I've chubbed up since getting married. Well, since going to college. Okay, so it's been since middle school. Whatever!

The goal here is to loose weight. I hate to say that I've been "dieting" because I despise that word. It's more that I've been conscience about what I eat and I've been eating much, much healthier since starting my job. That's been for a few months now. The new development is the exercise component. I've "worked out" three times this week and I'm about to go this morning too.

The really deep, dark secret I have to share is that... I want to be one of those people. We all know those people. Those people who need to run to feel right and think straight. Those people who are always signing up for the next half marathon. Those people who actually wear out their running shoes. Truth is, I've always wanted to be a runner. However, I've been so out of shape for so long that I can't run very far whenever I try and I give up. But not this time. This time, I'm accepting the fact that I can't run one mile without stopping (actually, on the treadmill the other day I could only run a tenth of mile).

So I'm starting with walking. I walk fast (a 3.5 on a treadmill) and on a slight incline, so that I can slowly build up to being a runner. As I get in better shape, the longer I'll be able to last, and the more running I can do. Besides, by everything I read, brisk walking is the best fat burning cardio work out a person can do.

Want some more honesty? I started out this journey at 178 lbs., and now I'm about 174. I'd love to just snap my fingers and be 40 pounds lighter, but I'm trying to be patient. My goal is Christmas time. Not necessarily to be at my goal weight by then, that might be too fast, but to at least be able to run three or four miles at a time. Thursday I walked 2 miles and that was my longest yet. Progress is progress!

This post is long enough. I'll try to keep you updated at least weekly as I go along.

Pot Luck

2010-09-08T15:17:00.005-04:00

Hey Folks! I'll be honest, I'm not very motivated to blog anymore. But you could probably tell that from my blogging average which has dropped to about once a month. I just really feel like I don't have anything interesting to say. Yes, Baden and I are still in school full time. No, we don't have jobs or children. And that's basically not going to change until this coming May (when I get a job, not have a baby!).

So why is this post titled "Pot Luck"? Well, I figured it might be time for some simple, good ol' fashioned picture-posting. So enjoy the pictures, and just know that I'm letting go of my guilt for being a bad blogger. See you the next time I have pictures to post!

My niece Nayeli during her Greensboro visit, loving this baby bouncer thing.

Baden and the tiniest pineapple ever!

This was the 4th of July at VMI. Hot air balloon rides! Although they stayed tethered to the ground the whole time so... what's the point?

They do make a pretty background though.

Just a fraction of the crowd gathered at VMI for fireworks.

Baden, just before he jumped off the footbridge! I'm going to do that someday...

Our New Decor

2010-08-01T14:15:00.006-04:00

As you may have seen me post on Facebook, we came home from Washington to a few interesting new additions. First, this dream catcher, tacked up to our wall.

This picture is right above our tv. I can't wait to take it down because I imagine everyone coming in to our apartment, seeing it, and thinking, "Wow, I guess Robin really, really likes that picture...."

This lamp and statue were right in the middle of our kitchen table. It was really creepy because when we first opened the door, all the lights were off except for this giant glowing lamp and illuminated Virgin Mary.

Last but not least, the toilet handlebars. I'm sure it has a real name that sounds better then "toilet handlebars," but I can't imagine what it would be. It might be sticking around longer then the other stuff though, just because it's going to be a hassle to get it off. Thank you so much to Matt Coats and JJ Feinauer!

Washington

2010-07-27T21:22:00.019-04:00

We recently spent a week in Eastern Washington. Tri-Cities to be exact. Instead of writing it all out, here is our vacation in pictures.

Baden on one of the many airplanes we took (two out there, three back).

The pretty suspension bridge in Tri-Cities. I know you can't tell, but it was huge!

Me and baby Mark.

Sam, toddler, fan of the phrase, "Don't touch my buttons, they are dangerous!" But that's only when he's being Buzz Lightyear

Baden and his favorite band Carbon Leaf! They did a free outdoor concert while we were there and it was awesome.

Lake surrounded by desert. I couldn't understand it.

The Tri-Cities Temple! So beautiful, inside and out.

Teryaki. I have heard about the teryaki out west from Baden for a long time and I finally got some. Very delicious.

Baden, about to get three cavities filled by his brother, Thomas. We neglected to take a picture of me while getting two wisdom teeth pulled. Not exactly standard vacation procedure, but who's going to turn down free dental care?

Joe and Sam at the batting cages. I love this picture!

Yes, that is Baden up to bat in socks and crocs. There's just no way to get that guy out of them. But he still did great!

Our view of the Carbon Leaf concert.

Small crowd of people up front. Most people were in stands in the back. If you look closely, you can also see Joe and Sam chillin up there.

The oldest Bagley brother, Garrett, and the youngest.

The Bagley boys can't live without their diet soda so I got a pretty good tour of all the gas stations in eastern Washington. I just liked this sign in one of them that says, "That spare change in your cup holder is a lottery ticket in disguise."

It's a tradition for the wives of the Bagley boys to get pedicures together whenever they see each other. This was my first one, with Katie!

And finally, here is a little video of Sam, as Buzz Lightyear, explaining why we can't touch the buttons on his costume.

Photo Bucket

2010-06-22T21:54:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I guess the "Teaser" from two weeks ago, was really my whole report on the Danville/Greensboro trip. We loved having the little vacation and seeing family. Here are the pictures I took during it, sorry there aren't more!

Here's Baden being very, very excited to find a baby lacrosse stick in the sports section of Target. It was the first one either of us has ever seen! Afterwards Baden asked me, "How young is too young to start our kids on lacrosse? Six months?"

And the rest of the pictures are of Halle, of course! I only took a few because as soon as I brought out the camera she got really shy and stopped laughing as much. And I would always rather laugh with her in person then get pictures of her looking at me weirdly to have forever. If I remember correctly she's laughing here because I kept dropping a plastic tomato over and over again. She loves the slapstick.

Outside on Gabby and Puppy's driveway. I should have gotten a video of her doing hopscotch - it's so adorable!

So that's about it. Since the trip, our lives haven't been exciting at all. All I do is work, study for this big test I'm taking in July (I'll post about that later), and watch Grey's Anatomy online. Baden has been in Danville working for his parents, but he comes home tonight! Maybe we'll cook up some excitement so I can blog more. :)

Teaser

2010-06-07T21:09:00.003-04:00

I'll post more in depth about our recent week in Danville and Greensboro soon, but I'll give you a funny little tidbit first.

So we were sitting in the special stake meeting with Elder Bednar in church on Sunday, and we sat behind this family with four very small children. One of them was a little girl, 2 or 3 years old. She was getting really frustrated with her mom about something, and ended up hitting her on the arm a few times out of anger.

Now, sure, toddlers do that. They loose their little minds from little toddler rage and end up biting you or hitting you or whatever. Still not okay though. The mom stayed very calm and asked her daughter, "Is it time to go outside?" Which meant, "Do you need to drain some energy by running up and down the halls for a minute?"

Baden and I were talking about this afterwards and I said I didn't think I could stay so calm if my kid hit me. He said this: "Yeah, you hit my sweetheart and I don't care if you're my kid, we have a PROBLEM."

Sometimes it's the matter-of-fact things he says that are the sweetest.

Wally World

2010-05-31T00:34:00.002-04:00

This is a conversation I just had with a Wal-Mart cashier:

Cashier: Are you 18 years old?

Me: Yes... Do you need to see some I.D.?

Cashier: Nah, I trust you.

Me: Okay, thanks. I didn't know you needed to be 18 to buy Ny-Quil.

Cashier: Well there are some ingredients in it that can be used to make meth.

Me: Oh.

(While what I wanted to say was, "So it's okay for me to buy this to make meth as long as I'm 18??)

10. Properly Type at 60 wpm

2010-05-28T16:42:00.003-04:00

I crossed the first item off my Life List recently! I printed out the proof. If you look at what's circled, you'll see I actually typed at 74 words per minute, with zero errors. Feels pretty good. If you scroll down and look at the rest of my list, some things are in italics. Those are things I'm actively working on, like being married for 25 years (10 months down :) ), and reading the Bible cover to cover. And I happen to be making some progress...

Okay, so it's just a little tiny bit of progress, but I made it out of Genesis alive! Sure there's the whole Old and New Testament to go still, but I'm trying to focus on how much I've done, not how far I have to go. I figured out with the number of chapters in the entire Bible, that if I read a chapter every day, I would be done in about three and a half years. While I'm trying to read more then that on average, it will still take a while. But hey, progress is progress!

Community

2010-05-25T15:18:00.003-04:00

My first semester at Virginia Western Community College ended almost a month ago and I'm feeling a little nostalgic towards it already. Generally, I just call my school, "Virginia Western" because I'd like to think some people might fill in "University" or at least "College" at the end by themselves. But alas, it really is a community college. And maybe it's because I did so well my first semester, or maybe it's because I'm a huge fan of the show "Community" on NBC, but I legitimately enjoy being a student there.

I've worked my way backwards with my education in a sense. Starting out in Early College for high school and being a full time student of Guilford College so young was supposed to catapult me into the fast track for success. But, like most sixteen year olds, I was an idiot. I did well in classes, but I wasn't working towards anything. I only took classes that sounded interesting or fit into a time slot I wanted. In fact my last semester, I only had class from 8:30-12:30, Monday through Thursday. While that schedule is basically a dream come true for a high school senior, I had no major in mind, no direction to work towards.

Then, after I took a year off (one of the best decisions I ever made), I came to Southern Virginia University. I met so many wonderful people (including my husband) and had so much fun that I could never regret that decision. I still love that we live in the SVU area. But I majored in Liberal Arts, only because it was easy and I could apply so many of my credits from Guilford as transfer credits. Even graduating and getting married didn't give me any career direction. Weird, huh?

Only since I started at VWCC have I found some excitement for a career. Sure, I may talk about just looking forward to making money more than anything else, but I am so enjoying my coding program. I really think I am going to like it as a job. I also love the melting pot of people I've met. I feel like a succeed more when I'm in a more diverse classroom. And it took taking what I thought would be a step down and backward to be introduced to the right career, and school, for me.

Well, all this sentimentality aside, here are some pictures of a project I finished this week. One of my spring semester classes was Medical Terminology I, where I made hundreds of flash cards. Literally. I broke them up into prefixes, roots, suffixes, abbreviations, and vocabulary words and alphabetized them all. It took hours but now it'll be a lot easier to study and keep them fresh in my mind all summer, before I take Medical Terminology II in the fall.

Don't be fooled, all these little baggies are really thick!

Danville Weekend

2010-05-19T16:47:00.005-04:00

From Friday afternoon, to late Monday night, Baden and I were in Danville, VA to see some family. We stayed at his parents house and did some work for them by cleaning, organizing and whatnot to get the house ready for all the people staying there. In total it was me and Baden, both of his parents, his brother Jason with his wife Tinka and their four kids and another brother, Thomas with his wife Katie and their three kids.

Thomas and Katie flew all the way out from Washington state to hang out in Danville for a couple of days on their way to Myrtle beach. We were so excited to see them, along with Jason and his family. They are the two brothers I got to know best before we got married and we would love to get to see them more often.

Well, I didn't do a very good job of getting a picture of everyone, mostly just of Mark and Sam, Thomas' two youngest kids. Here's Baden with Mark, he's just six weeks old.

Sam and Katie during the big family outing to Chick-fil-a.

Me and Sam. If you happen to see Baden soon in person, ask him to play some audio from his phone of Sam accidentally saying some... uh, colorful language.

Here's a little video of Baden playing basketball with Joe, Kimball, and Sam. It's not very exciting, I just always think it's cute to watch Baden play with his nieces and nephews.

Senior Show

2010-05-18T13:48:00.005-04:00

So my friend and former roommate Megan Bauer doubled majored in Art and Business as an SVU student and as part of completing her art major, she participated in "Senior Show." This is where all of the senior art students work on big ambitious artwork and then display at the end of the semester. Not that I was biased or anything, but I think hers was the best! Seriously, the pictures don't really do them justice. I remember the titles to some of them, this one is "Modern Day Aurora" I think.

"Future Parking Lot"

"War Paint"

"Prepackaged Life"

A little 3-D element here with the chain.

I just really enjoyed going to see her work, so I had to show you all!

Chocolate Strawberries

2010-05-12T11:00:00.003-04:00

Before we get to the strawberries, I just have to say: Seriously, people? No one had a comment for candied freakin' bacon? Seriously?! Man. Tough crowd.

Well if you weren't impressed by the bacon, you won't be impressed by this, but nonetheless...

I made chocolate strawberries! They are delicious and oh so easy to make. I found some recipes that suggested melting the chocolate and adding orange zest or liquor or a lot of other things. But then I came upon Paula Dean's recipe that basically said, "Melt chocolate and dip strawberries into it." That's my kind of recipe.

So I got white and milk chocolate chips, melted them and dipped the rinsed, dry strawberries in. After that, just place on a cookie sheet with parchment paper and put in the fridge for a few minutes. As you can see with the couple of berries in the middle, I tried some drizzling for a little color contrast, but it didn't turn out. Maybe I need a tiny frosting tip to make it look pretty? That's what I'll try next.

Just Another Saturday With The Bagleys

2010-05-01T23:48:00.009-04:00

Are you ready for all the awesomeness this post contains? Brace yourselves because I'm giving you the recipe for:

CANDIED. BACON.

I'll give you a moment to let that sink in. It's okay, just take a deep breath.

Alright, here's what we did.

Start off with a mixture of brown sugar and crushed pecans.

Get yourself a really good looking man to cook it.

Set bacon slices on a cooling rack on top of a cookie sheet covered in foil. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes at 375. Just until its almost ready. Take it out and sprinkle the sugar/pecan mixture on top, then place it back in the oven for about 5 more minutes, or until all the sugar has melted into itself.

These pieces were cooked a little too long so we had to eat them normally. Oh, shucks!

The final product. Candied. Bacon.

With this goodness to share, we were the hit of the graduation party we brought it to! We had some good friends graduate from SVU this year and one them, Lauren Hughes, had a party at her parents house out in the country. They have a couple of horses we got to meet named Schoolie and Moon. I haven't been around horses in a long time, so it was kind of weird being around such huge animals.

Baden is super excited. The horse... not so much.

Here's Moon gettin' fresh with me. Such a flirt.

Schoolie is just gorgeous. I think she's eating a carrot out of someone's hand here.

Their happy little pasture.

Nintendo Brings People Together

2010-05-01T00:15:00.003-04:00

I just thought this was a cute picture.

FYI: I'm starting to get a callus on my left thumb from playing video games. Since when am I a gamer? Thank goodness school is almost over.

My Birthday

2010-04-29T17:47:00.013-04:00

This is my first post as a twenty-three year old. A couple people have asked/teased me, "Do you feel like you're getting old now?" And I just say, "Heeeeeeck no!" Twenty three has been great so far. My birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we celebrated the night before by going to Harrisonburg and perusing Barnes and Noble (one of favorite things to do when I'm in civilization) where I bought a new book and found out that another book I've been waiting to buy comes out on paperback this coming Tuesday. So I'm waiting till then, but I'll still consider it a birthday purchase.

After Barnes and Noble, we ate at Texas Roadhouse where I had an amazing burger and tried a virgin margarita for the first time! I wish I had taken a picture. It was really sour and sweet so I probably won't get another for a long time. But I'm glad I tried it. Then, we were going to see a movie, but the theater turned out to be crazy/weird expensive so we just shopped all around Harrisonburg (and I do mean allllll around) and ended the night with some Coldstone ice cream where they have a new flavor called "Oreo Creme Filling." And it's exactly what it sounds like.

The actual day of my birthday, we went to church and taught our Sunday School class which is always fun, and then I came home and took a nap. When I go up, Baden had left to go study with a friend, but he and our friend JJ had decorated the apartment with all this...

5 Balloons all around the living room.

Banners and streamers, even hung from the overhead light above the dining room table.

If you look closely, that's a picture of Lauren Hughes on top of a frame, and one of JJ in the largest frame. That's Baden's decorating touch.

This one was nailed to the wall.

More balloons and banners.

That night we had people over for cake (my spice cake was a big hit by the way), hanging out, and watching The Blind Side. Basically all in all fun! Here's a few pictures of my presents...

My present to myself - a new wedding ring! Sorry it's not very clear - just trust me, it's pretty.

An FC Twin, otherwise known as a Nintendo and Super Nintendo in one! Thanks to Mom for subsidizing this purchase. :)

Games, which were from Baden, include Street Fighter, Mario All Stars, Super Mario World, Alladin, and The Lion King. It's been so much fun!

A case, with a clip for my iPod from Baden, exactly what I wanted.

Some gorgeous flowers from Caitlin!

AND a beautiful purse made for me by the lovely Holli!

Yeah, I pretty much cleaned up. I love birthdays!

More Shenanigans

2010-04-23T12:54:00.002-04:00

The last Shenanigans show of the semester! Here are three little clips. First, it's another 3 Way Dubbing with Baden, JJ, and Paul. Then, ABC with Baden and Caitlin. And last but not least, a little skit put on by Lauren, Caitlin, JJ, and Kelan highlighting some difference between boys and girls. Enjoy!

Another Great Saturday

2010-04-22T10:10:00.004-04:00

Last Saturday we took advantage of everything Buena Vista had to offer. There was a Battle of the Bands on the lawn next to Franks for the Memories, a spring football game, and we even went to see the Senior art show.

We sat in the car for some air conditioning and a better view at the football game. I think we were winning but we never saw the score.

Our lovely friend Melissa Branin who, if she didn't win the Battle, should have.

I have pictures of the art show too, particularly of my friends' stuff, but they haven't posted pictures yet, so when I get permission, I will.

ps - The last Shenanigans show of the semester was this past Tuesday and I took a ton of video, so look out for that!

Mini Herb Brooks

2010-04-16T12:47:00.002-04:00

This is my favorite YouTube video right now. This kid is Joshua Sacco, a 5 year old from Tennessee. He is not trying to be an actor; this is not an audition for anything. It's just that he LOVES "Miracle," the hockey movie from a few years ago. This is the speech Kurt Russell gives at the end to inspire the players. Honestly, I haven't seen the real movie. If you want to look up Kurt Russell giving the speech, you'll see that this kid is word for word! And it's all from memory. It may look like he's reading from the yellow paper in his hand, but it's blank. He doesn't even know how to read yet. The end is the best part, so stay with it and enjoy!

The Perfect Greensboro Weekend

2010-04-13T09:43:00.002-04:00

I don't even have any pictures to share! I can't believe I didn't even take one silly picture! Ugh. Anyways, yes, we just had the perfect Greensboro weekend.

We went down because SVU was playing High Point University in lacrosse on Saturday and Baden was going, of course. The Knights won! Baden scored a point and because of my family being there (me, my parents, Baden's parents, his brother, and three of his kids), SVU's cheering section was much bigger and louder then High Point's! After the game, we went to Chipotle with Baden's side of the family where we ate and the little kids kept feeding a sparrow rice. That doesn't kill them, right?

When we got home, my sister Rachel and my niece Halle were already there. Halle warmed up to me so fast! (Be warned Rethsey, I am totally winning in the Favorite Aunt category with her right now.) We drank tea/air, played with toy cars and even did some yoga. It was awesome to finally hear Halle say my name. Especially since she was saying it to get my attention and come play!

After everyone left for the night, Baden and I went to bed super early. Around 10pm. I know, we're old now. But we slept sooooo well! We even debated whether or not to sleep there Sunday night and wake up at 4am to drive back home. But we came to our senses and didn't do that. Anyways, after a relaxing Sunday morning the next day, we went to the 1:30 ward which turned out to be Guilford. It was testimony meeting and basically everyone I know and love in that ward got up to bear their testimony. It was so great to be there for that!

When we got home from church we just watched the Masters, cheering on anyone but Tiger Woods, and had a lovely dinner with my parents before driving back home.

Again, I wish I had pictures to share, but you'll just have to trust me that it was the perfect weekend!

Baden's Man Troubles

2010-03-30T15:26:00.004-04:00

Life has been beating up on Baden a little bit lately. He woke up one day a few weeks ago with his back really hurting him. He spent a few days just laying down, hoping it would relax, but no amount of Advil, heating pad time, or any combination of treatments seemed to help. Finally he went to Danville to get it looked at by a chiropractor. The doctor said that Baden's pelvis was out of whack, making one of his legs two and a half inches shorter then the other! He popped it and now Baden knows how to get one if his friends (who apparently have to be stronger then me) to pop it for him.

There have also been a couple of lacrosse games lately. The Knights won in double over time against East Carolina University last Saturday, and Baden got this sweet bruise:

He says it looks like a supernova. And I agree.

As a bonus, below is a very sweet note Baden left for me in our kitchen the other day. In case you can't make it out, it says, "I love you so much I just wanted to leave you a little note for no reason at all. Thanks for being my love and supporting me through everything. Will you be mine?"

And then what killed me was the little Yes/No boxes and leaving his AOL screen name (LDSPaco) at the bottom. For anyone who isn't from my generation, that's how all middle school love notes ended. When I checked "Yes" and left my screen name (robintobin5) Baden said, "Great! Now we can IM each other!"

Shenanigans

2010-03-29T21:48:00.002-04:00

There was one of the best Shenanigans shows I've ever seen this past weekend. Baden was in a few games, including these two: 3 Way Dubbing and Half Life. First, there's 3 Way Dubbing. This is one of the hardest improv games they play. There are three players (here it's Baden, JJ, and Caitlin) and each one of them acts for themselves, but speaks for someone else. You'll get the jist watching it. Enjoy!

Next, there's Half Life. Four players (Baden, JJ, Paul, and Lauren) act out a simple scene in 60 seconds, then do the same scene again in 30, 15, and 7.5 seconds. In between each length, one player gets voted off by the crowd. Check it out!

I should have taped the game Party Quirks, where Baden played an underwear model (very successfully), but the game is pretty long compared to the others. Maybe next time!

Adventures

2010-03-27T13:48:00.008-04:00

We went on a adventure around Buena Vista when our friends Bethany and Jake were in town. Check it out!

SVU vs. Aquinas

2010-03-09T21:57:00.004-05:00

SVU had a great lacrosse game today! They played some school named Aquinas and won 9-8 in overtime. And Baden assisted the game winning goal! The overtime took about six months off my life because it was so intense! Lacrosse is like hockey where in overtime, whoever scores first wins. We had out-played the other team all day and really deserved to win so I was on pins and needles! He also had three points himself. It was a beautiful day and a lot fun!

This is the brand new school field where they play. Can you see those mountains in the background? Pictures just don't do it justice.

My sexy lacrosse warrior!!

And here we have a little video we took at home after the game... And you can actually see the whole thing, without some getting cut off by my format, so enjoy!

UVA vs. Syracuse

2010-03-08T14:33:00.004-05:00

This weekend, Baden and I went to the biggest outdoor sporting event either of us have ever been to. It was a lacrosse game and it was UVA vs. Syracuse. How could a lacrosse game be popular enough to bring 7,500 people to Charlottesville to watch it? Well the Syracuse and UVA lacrosse teams are #1 and #2 in the nation respectively. These kids are as good as it gets in college lacrosse. Because I can't really pick apart plays or anything, the only difference I saw between these guys and the SVU team was their speed and accuracy with the ball. And if I could notice a difference, you Baden was in AWE!

We had a great time and even wormed our way into getting front row seats! We bought our tickets right before the game, but there was some free space in front of UVA's pep band so we took it. I tried to take some pictures to show just how many people were there, but my limited camera wasn't up to the task. Instead, here's the views of what was right around us.

I like how you can see the reflection of my arms holding up the camera in my sunglasses, like they're coming out of my eyes. Still a good picture though.

All Work and No Play Makes Robin's Blog a Dull Thing

2010-03-05T14:31:00.002-05:00

What a busy, busy week of school it's been! On Wednesday, in Human Relations, I had a paper and a presentation due, and then a test on the urinary system right after it in Medical Terminology. So the days leading up to that big day were chock full of nothing but homework. However, this coming week is spring break for Baden and I (I don't have to make up any classes after all), and we were lucky that our schools had the same break! We are mainly going to relax, do homework, head to Greensboro to get some furniture (!) from my Grandmommy, maybe go to Raleigh to see some peeps... basically living the dream. :)

Ready for some smaller bullet points of other stuff going on? Here we go!

-I finally signed us up to get an Ensign and New Era every month (I got the New Era too because our callings are with the youth), and our first issues came the other day!

-We have really gotten in to watching Bones from Netflix and our free hook up at a local rental place.

-We got new tires for my car. Let's just say they were so bald Baden forbid me from driving to Lynchburg to get new ones myself.

-I killed a hornet in the house all by myself today! Unfortunately, I did it with a wasp killer spray and got some on my phone. And now it takes pictures with no one touching it.

-You may have seen on Facebook that Baden played in three lacrosse games last Saturday and scored 5 points overall! One of them, I swear, he was upside down doing a back flip and it still went in. Their next game is Tuesday at 4.

-I had orientation yesterday to start volunteering at the hospital in Lexington. That's where I want to work once I get done with school, and I figured if they could get to know me beforehand, and/or I could make some contacts, it couldn't hurt!

-I was kinda sorta on the local news here! Last Wednesday, news cameras came into my HR class and took some video for a story on the school. If you want to check it out, copy and paste this: http://www.wdbj7.com/Global/category.asp?C=168438&nav=menu368_5 Sorry I don't know how to do real links. I don't say anything, but you can see me right in front of the camera reading out of my Terminology book.

And that about wraps it all up! I'll try to have some fun to blog about soon.

Another Project

2010-02-27T21:48:00.002-05:00

My kitchen paintings are finally done! When I was finished, I just looked back and said, "I dig 'em!"

Mighty Life List

2010-02-22T13:56:00.005-05:00

I've been wanting to make a life list, or a bucket list, whatever you want to call it for a while. I was inspired by one of my favorite websites, mightygirl.com. This woman, Maggie Mason, created an amazing life list of 100 things to do in her life. As a well-known blogger, Maggie was able to get her list sponsored by Intel and is now under contract and gets PAID to check things off her list. While I may not be so lucky, I've still compiled a list of 50 things to do sometime in my life. There are some little things, as well as some pie in the sky dreams, but hey, anything's possible right? Oh, and the picture above is of #26, the floating bar in Vietnam. Without further ado, the list.

Mighty Life List
(Created February 22, 2010)

1.Go skydiving
2.Pass the CPC exam (Certified Professional Coder)
3.Celebrate my 25th anniversary with Baden
4.Give birth
5.Drive from where ever I live in America to the southernmost tip of South America
6.Go to Italy with Baden
7.Swim with luminescent plankton in Puerto Rico
8.Run a marathon
9.Finish a triathlon
10.Be able to properly type 60wpm
11.Go to Hawaii
12.Swim with Dolphins
13.Spend Christmas at Disney World
14.Read the Bible cover to cover
15.Go to Antarctica
16.Stand in front of the Mona Lisa
17.Visit the Salt Lake Temple
18.See church history sites in Nauvoo and New York
19.Have a vegetable garden
20.Learn to swim all the different strokes
21.Swim in open water next to a whale
22.Act in a play again
23.Win a trophy for something
24.Go to Egypt
25.Save and tithe 10% of every paycheck
26.Go to the floating bar in Vietnam
27.Fly first class on a flight where a meal is served
28.See a Broadway show
29.Meet a big celebrity in person
30.Take a cooking class
31.Finish my SVU and VWCC educations
32.Ride on the top of a double decker bus
33.Send out Christmas cards
34.Ride in a hot air balloon
35.Own a big fancy camera and master the use of it
36.Do one pull-up
37.Try on a Valentino gown
38.Be certified in all of first aid and CPR
39.Sponsor a child though World Vision
40.Ride a galloping horse in a big field
41.Kayak down a peaceful river or lake
42.Have my wedding dress shortened and dyed so I can wear it again
43.Watch an Olympic event in person
44.Tour the White House
45.Learn to play a song on the guitar
46.Jump off the foot bridge
47.Learn how to play chess
48.Be debt free (from credit cards and student loans)
49.Go berry picking
50.Learn to change the oil and change a tire on my car

The Knightly Knews

2010-02-20T12:00:00.003-05:00

This is on facebook too, but I just have to post it everywhere. This is Baden and our friend JJ in a skit they put on for a Shenanigans show. (And if you don't get the title, SVU's mascot is the Knight - hence all the K's.) For some reason, my format cuts off some of the video, so just click on it and view it on YouTube for the best version. Enjoy!

Chicken Wing Soup

2010-02-19T16:44:00.004-05:00

Baden and I were introduced to an amazing soup by our friend Holli Coats. It's got a little spicy kick to it and it's really hearty and delicious. We made it for ourselves the other night (and by we, I mean Baden made it) and here's the recipe:

1 sm. onion - chopped
2 ribs celery - chopped (We leave out the celery and add potatoes though.)
1/4 cup butter OR margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups diced, cooked chicken (It's called chicken wing soup because it TASTES like wings, you don't have to pick chicken off actual chicken wings. That's way too much work.)
1/4 - 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce - to taste
4 oz. process cheese food (Velveeta®) - cubed, low-fat okay
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

-In a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, cook onions and celery in butter until tender.
-Stir flour into pan; slowly whisk in milk and broth.
-Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted

It's a pretty simple recipe as far as soups go and we love to have some ciabatta bread on the side for dipping. You will love this I promise!

I told Baden I wanted a picture of the chef, and this is what I got...

Love Nest

2010-02-17T14:08:00.011-05:00

Let's go on a virtual tour of our apartment!

Walk in our front door and you'll see this...

The kitchen, with our dinosaur of a stove.

No dishwasher :(

The recipe for a happy marriage that Papa Fred made for us!

The kitchen table. Six dollars from Goodwill and free chairs from Baden's brother. It's good to have hook-ups!

The living room...

Haven't quite filled up our little picture frame collage.

Our second bedroom. Yes, I am ashamed. We only use it for Baden's closet and to put stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else. One day, I'll organize it. But that's another post.

Bathroom.

Bedroom.

My WALK-IN closet!!

View coming back from the bedroom.

And there you have it! I want tours of all of YOUR houses too!

Valentines!

2010-02-15T20:32:00.002-05:00

We had a very chill Valentine's Day yesterday. I got some daisies and chocolates from my valentine. Basically, since it was Sunday, we just hung out together all day. Last night, we were with some friends actually and heard some of the worst renditions of Rock Band songs ever performed. It was a lot of fun!

I've always liked Valentine's Day, even when I was single. People beat up on it because it's so commercial and all, but still I like that we have a day to just appreciate those we love. Besides, red is one of my favorite colors - so of course I love Valentine's Day!

Projects

2010-02-12T19:28:00.007-05:00

I've been feeling pretty crafty lately, so I decided to take some pictures of what I've made recently to show you. I've taken up cross-stitching again and I'm really liking it. I first learned how to do it on a mutual night activity in Young Women's a long, long time ago, but I haven't completed a project in years. But now that I'm doing it again, it feels great to keep my hands busy while I'm watching TV. I don't feel like a total bum at least.

The first thing I did was a little picture of a daisy that said "Live Simply" and gave it to my new mother-in-law (and scored some major points with it). But I didn't take any pictures and now it's in Danville.

The second one was the picture below. I gave it to my friend Holli Coats for her birthday. This one was so simple to do but it came out looking really fancy!

I'm working on another cross-stitching thing now for my sister-in-law Katie who is expecting a baby boy in the spring. I thought it looked like something she could put up in the nursery - I'll have pictures when it's finished.

For other projects, I am always trying to think of ways to fill our large, textured (yes, every inch is weirdly textured in the exact same way), white walls. And we are not allowed to paint. I really wanted this series of four paintings selling on Etsy right now, but all together it would have been about $200. Who has that kind of money? So I started thinking, why not paint something myself? It would have to be abstract, because I don't have any actual artistic talent, but hey, I like abstract art. So I talked to Baden about doing four paintings to put around our kitchen table. I asked him, "Do you know what Jackson Pollack paintings look like?" He said, "Yeah, I love Pollack. You know why? Because it's all abstract but I GET it!" He's so cute!

So I set off to Wal-Mart and got canvases and paint. Here's a blank one...

Here's Phase 1 of the first one. I realized after starting it, I would need to do a lot of layers, for the paint to not all congeal and turn into a giant blob. So I would put a little on, and then let it dry, and put a little more on...you get the drill.

And these are the finished products! I only did two because while starting the second one, I realized the bright, primary colors I picked really didn't match anything we already have. If I did four, and put them up in our kitchen, they would stick out like a big, loud, post-modern thumb. So I hung these two up in our second bedroom instead.

I still want to do paintings for the kitchen, but now I know I need more muted colors. And I'll probably make them a lot simpler. I'm thinking beige and black...

Snow, Snow and More Snow

2010-02-10T14:57:00.006-05:00

Ugh. Enough already with the snow, alright? So many of my classes in Roanoke have been canceled that I probably won't get a Spring Break because of make up days. All snow's fault.

There's just no magic in snow after Christmas. It's so grey and white everywhere I feel like I'm living in a 1950's movie. While I can't wait for it all to melt (if it ever does), there are some pretty sights around town because of it.

Main Hall in a blanket of snow.

Are there bikes behind that snow mountain? This is not a trick of perspective, the piles are all at least that high!

The view down Maple Ave.

Snowman parade: First up, there's the cute little snowmen on the corner. These guys look like they'd be a lot of fun.

Second, the GIANT snowman built in the middle of the library mods on campus. This thing easily 6 inches taller then me!

Third, and the winner by far in the skill category, are these snow sculptures made by a family I don't know on Maple Ave. Amazing, huh?

Notice how the lady is holding a baby? Just mind blowing.

Hello, World!

2010-02-08T14:54:00.003-05:00

Today, a very nice man from Comcast came by and gave us a few TV channels and very fast internet! I am so excited to not have to use Baden's iPhone when I want to check my email at home - I can use my real computer! And here are the pictures to prove it...

The beautiful modem and router.

Google at my fingertips.

The whole setup...

Why yes, that is As the World Turns on TV. Don't judge me, I'm just excited that it's not a DVD.

This is the face of a happy girl.

Carolina Basketball

2010-02-04T15:25:00.005-05:00

So over Christmas break, Baden and I got to go to two Carolina games thanks to my wonderful Grandparents, Papa Fred and Grandma Jo. They were the games against Albany and Rutgers, both of which Carolina won. We were so grateful to go!

Baden is a Carolina fan, and I, you know, kind of like them too :). Since they weren't playing against MY team, I could cheer for them all the way. For the first game we were in my grandparents' normal seats, but for the second game there were so few people there, we asked a security guy if we could stand in the student section right behind Carolina's basket and he said yes! He just gave us some wristbands and we were in!

Even though it wasn't a very competitive game, it was still cool to be so close to the players. I mean, Ed Davis was practically sweating ON me! I'm sure we were on TV being right behind the basket and all, but nobody saw us.

During halftime of the first game we went to, they brought out players from the local Special Olympics to scrimmage on the court. It was awesome, and crowd was cheering just as loud for them as they were during the real game. Baden and I thought it was really cool.

Security is super tight in the time right after a game. We went down to the court to take a picture, which was fine, a lot of people were doing it. But when we were trying to get back to the stairs, I had to step slightly too far onto the court to dodge a little kid and a security guard yelled, "Get off the court please!" There's just no messing around with those guys.

We had a blast! Thank you so much Papa Fred and Grandma Jo!

The Jensens

2010-02-03T13:50:00.005-05:00

The weekend before last, Baden and I had the privilage of attending the wedding of one of my best friends, Katie Randall, to a great man named Ricky Jensen. Katie was a bridesmaid for me and i got to be a bridesmaid for her. It was the first sealing Baden and I got to watch after our own and we both couldn't help but say how much nicer and less nerve racking it was to just watch!

Katie looked beautiful and insisted that, even in the cold January weather, her short-sleeved dress kept her warm during picture taking. Her photographer was the same amazing one that took my bridals (the more artsy type we took before the wedding you know?). There are already some great pictures of the wedding (including one with me looking like an idiot) on the photographers website: http://bmwphotographyblog.blogspot.com/

At the reception, I always seemed to be stuck behind a rather tall girl, so I only got some so-so pictures. But here they are anyways! The reception was held at a party site on the grounds of Mount Vernon. While we never got a view of the real Mount Vernon, it was still really pretty!

Congratulations Katie and Ricky!

Children's Museum

2010-02-02T16:04:00.009-05:00

The purpose of this post is just to show off my nieces. We went to the Greensboro Children's Museum near the end of Christmas break. It was total mayhem, but I got some good shots anyways!

Okay, okay, that basically exhausts my pictures of nieces for a while. I guess I'll have to tell you about Baden and I for a while now. Shucks...

Ketchup

2010-01-28T14:17:00.007-05:00

...To steal a title from a friend's blog. Oh, so much to talk about, so little energy/will to blog.

Here's the thing, as of right now, Baden and I are sans internet. We used to be able to sync up with an unsecured wireless account where we live, but now it is mysteriously gone. Sad, I know, but at least it's forcing us to get our own connection which will be about 10000% faster and more reliable. As for the next few days though, till it comes, we are still using the library and such places for their free internet. So, if I could have an excuse for not blogging, I think that's a pretty good one.

Since I am trying to catch up, let's start with Christmas and work our way forward with future posts.

Christmas in Greensboro was so so so much fun. I wrote about looking forward to it back in early October, and it did not disappoint! I got to introduce Baden to the Alton family ways with the madness of the Christmas Eve party, the magic of Christmas Day brunch, and even (gasp!) exchanging gifts! Baden got a really cool meat brander from my sister that you can personalize to say anything you want. He is really looking forward to making a steak for a friend of ours with "You Suck" branded into it.

We also gave gifts to each other. I got Baden some gift money to Amazon.com so he can get dress crocs. Yes, dress crocs. There will probably be a whole post on those alone coming up. Then, he got me an awesome bathrobe (that I really wanted) and some iTunes money. Basically, our first Christmas as a married couple was really sweet!

Is my niece a freakin' Cabbage Patch Kid or what?

More to come soon!

Picture Parade

2009-12-27T23:36:00.007-05:00

Here is a mash up of pictures from the last few months. There's some from the murder mystery dinner (where I ended up as the murderer), the time Jenna made Katie look like a MOVIE STAR, the time we were all sad, cold, and wet at the lacrosse tournament in Boone, and Baden being sad to take off a Snuggie. Enjoy.

It's been a while...

2009-12-10T14:05:00.003-05:00

Hello old friends! All...eh, 5 maybe.. of you that read this blog :). In some ways I feel like a lot has happened, and that not much has happened since the last time I posted. So we are going to go back to my old habit of bullet points!

-We've moved! We got an apartment in a complex called Treemont here in Buena Vista. We are extremel lucky to live to here because the rent is subsidized by the government and is based on your income. Basically, we have twice the space as our last place and only pay $144 a month. It's awesome.

-Baden is really liking his science classes and is doing well. He brought home two PERFECT SCORES from biology the other day!

-I quit my job at Joyful Spirit Cafe a couple weeks ago. The job hunt is going well, I have an interview with BB&T next week.

-Baden had his last Shenanigans show of the semester last week. It was a really good one and I can't tell you how many people come up to me afterwards and said, "Baden is BY FAR the funniest!"

-This is the last week of classes and next week is finals week. After that, we are both really looking forward to just hanging out with family and enjoying Christmas.

More random pictures to come soon!

One Good Thing

2009-10-26T20:56:00.002-04:00

So mine and Baden's calling in our ward is to be Sunday School teachers for the 17-18 year old youth. Basically as far away from Primary as we could get. Score! Not that getting the calling was our choice, but we couldn't resist a high-five right in front of the Bishop when we were officially called.

We really like our class. It's small - we have about 5 regulars. 2 boys and 3 girls. I already know some of their parents from work they do for SVU. For instance, one of our boys is Caleb Dransfield, whose dad taught me Approaches to Literature last year. It's a cool little group.

Anyways, when I was a teenager, something my Sunday School teacher always did was go around the room and have us all say one good thing that happened to us that week. I really liked it, so I wanted to do it with our class. They are kind of a chatty bunch so this sometimes takes up a lot of class time. Even though we all know the question is coming, we all sometimes have to sit and think "Man, what IS one good thing that happened this week?"

I've thrown out boring ones before like "I got to work a lot this week" or "We got paid this week." But this past Sunday, I was having a hard time thinking of one so Baden went first. He said, "I made homemade Alfredo last night for a triple date and it was delicious!" And to be honest, the Alfredo WAS so amazing I couldn't help but make my "one good thing" be, "I got to eat that Alfredo!"

So yes, this whole post about our class was just to tell you that Baden made the most scrumptious Alfredo ever Saturday night for a date night. Next time he makes it (and, trust me, I'll make sure that it's soon) I'll take pictures and get the recipe. I didn't even know it was possible to make homemade Alfredo!

Guilty

2009-10-20T23:04:00.003-04:00

You know those annoying people that everyone hates who get into the "Christmas Spirit" as it were before it's even Halloween? Well let me just raise up my little newly wedding-ring-adorned hand and declare to you all: "Guilty party right HERE!"

Seriously, I am already so psyched for this Christmas I can't even tell you. First of all, it's our first Christmas as a married couple and while we've been a couple for the past two Christmases, being married is going to make it different. And better. Just is.

Second, my brother Rich and his wife and daughter are going to be in Greensboro for two and a half weeks. While we won't be in town quite that long, we've already carved out a long while to be in Greensboro with my parents, Rich and his family, AND Rachel and her family. There's just nothing better then having everyone together at once.

Speaking of my siblings and their families, I have two nieces of my very own now. While I can't spoil them with presents like I want to, that doesn't stop me from turning to Baden every time we see tiny baby recliners made exactly like old man recliners and declaring, "My nieces NEED these!"

After the festivities in Greensboro, Baden's brother Thomas will be flying us out to Washington state to hang out with his family for a little while. They are the group of Baden's family that I know the best (they lived in Chapel Hill until this past summer) and we're both really looking forward to spending time with them again.

So, yes. While I'm not playing Christmas music and putting up a tree already, I AM very excited for Christmas. C'mon Halloween and Thanksgiving, let's just get this over with so we can get to the good stuff.

Roman Polanski

2009-09-29T22:31:00.002-04:00

Hey people. So today, I bring you something a little more serious. Sure there's lots of stuff going on, like Baden and I probably moving into our new place this week. And I have a really cute story to tell you about Baden doing something wonderfully sweet. But those will come another day.

Right now, I want to rant about Roman Polanski. To re-cap, in case you haven't heard the news, Polanski is a famous director and made the movies "Chinatown" and "The Pianist" among others. I hear they are great movies. Whatever. In the 70s, he plead guilty to giving a 13 year old champagne and quaaludes and having intercourse with her. Statutory rape. On the day of his sentencing, Polanski fled the country to France, where he has lived since (still making movies, not paying any consequences whatsoever). A few days ago, he was apprehended by American police in Switzerland (where we are allowed to catch bad guys, unlike France).

What I really hate about all this is the Hollywood directors and actors rushing to Polanski's defense. Yes, it was a long time ago, and yes, the victim has said she forgives him. But guess what. Statutory rape has nothing to do with consent and it has nothing to do with forgiveness. If Roman Polanski is not brought to justice, here is what our legal system is saying, "As long as you have the money to flee the country, you can rape all the 13 year olds you want."

A lot of the commentary I've read about this case (mostly from the New York Times) does not condone Polanski's behavior, yet rushes to the defense of his films. This has nothing to do with his work. Picasso was a despicable human being. Cheated on his wives and abused his son. But his artwork is still praised as genius, as it should be. The important distinction here is between the artist and his crimes. I would not feel guilty for liking a Polanski movie, and I want him prosecuted to the full extent of the law. What is so hard to understand about that, Hollywood?

Geraldine Ferraro sums it all up perfectly in the following article:

"“A male is guilty of rape in the second degree when, being eighteen years old or more, he engages in sexual intercourse with a female less than fifteen years old. Rape in the second degree is a class felony.”

That is the current law in New York. When I was prosecuting these cases in Queens in the 70’s the law required that the child be less than 14. The legislature tightened it. But there is no doubt that California had the same protections for children when Polanski was prosecuted in California for having intercourse with a 13-year-old girl. It still does.

Why has no one from the movie business, no one who supposedly stands up for the rights of women and girls, spoken up in support of finally bringing this man to justice?

This is the definition of statutory rape. Notice, it doesn’t talk about force and it doesn’t talk about consent. Neither are needed. The statute is meant to protect children. A 13-year-old can’t consent to intercourse with a man over 18, and definitely not with a man in his 30’s.

Polanski was convicted of a serious crime in the 70’s. He chose to abscond to France and because he had money and connections, has lived a charmed life, unhindered by his obligations to society. The message is, rich guys can get away with anything … or wait — is it only rich guys with friends in Hollywood? The statute of limitations for rape does not toll simply because 31 years has passed. And victims cannot “forgive” the rapist. The criminal justice system is meant to protect all of us.

As for France getting all exercised about California moving forward (and the prosecutors there haven’t just let this go for 31 years), who are the French officials to criticize us as a nation and tell us how to deal with our criminals? Too bad for Bernie Madoff that he wasn’t as smart as Polanski. He would have taken his wife, brother, nephew, sons and their families and a billion or two and gone to France to help their economy. Then when the Ponzi scheme was exposed, the French would have, if consistent, refused extradition. He could have stayed for the rest of his life in luxury. Just imagine.

And what really defies explanation are the actions of the Directors Association and actors, like Harrison Ford. Did they remain buddies over the years with a convicted rapist who had fled the jurisdiction because they condoned his rape of the child or because they approved of his actions of absconding and beating the system? Did they do so because this was not such an unusual situation in Hollywood at the time and may still exist today?

What was particularly outrageous was the woman speaking on behalf of the Directors Association who said: “It happened so long ago.” Really. Suppose it happened today. Would she feel differently? Suppose it had been murder and not rape that happened 31 years ago? Would she be saying “It happened so long ago”?

For me, one of the biggest disappointments of this episode is that no one from Hollywood, no one from that movie business, no one who supposedly stands up for the rights of women and girls has opened his or her mouth in support of the prosecutors who are doing their job and attempting to bring this man finally to justice. As for France, I would hope that President Sarkozy would call in his ministers and tell them to butt out of our business.""

Shenanigans Show!

2009-09-26T15:58:00.002-04:00

Oh, the first Shenanigans show of the year. It's what marks the true beginning of the school year, really. My honey was in a lot of really funny games, and I taped this one called "ABC." Basically, you are given a very simple thing to start a scene with, and then every line has to start with the next letter of the alphabet. This video starts off with Baden explaining the game and then he and the lovely Caitlin Robison play a great round. Sorry it's so incredibly shaky, I guess I was just laughing too hard!

Slacker Blogger

2009-09-08T20:13:00.007-04:00

Yes, Slacker Blogger here, finally checking in. I posted as my facebook status that I was indeed a slacker blogger and my friend Kaitlin Cluff condensed it to "Slogger" and formally defined it as: Slogger (n): One who claims to blog, or means to blog, but rarely gets around to it. Well put, Kaitlin.

Anyways! We've been cooking up a lot of good stuff lately. My own contribution was Poppyseed Chicken earlier this week. Or maybe last week. It's a dish we originally had with Matt and Holli Coats, and Baden and I both liked it so much, I recreated it just for us. Super simple recipe:

-However much chicken (chopped) you want - cooked however you want (I just did ours with some olive oil, salt, and pepper on the stove)
-2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup
-16oz. container of sour cream
-2 teaspoons-ish of poppyseeds

Mix that all together and put in a buttered casserole dish. Mash up one sleeve's worth of Ritz crackers to crumble on top and pour butter (1 stick) on top of that. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. When it comes out, spoon over (it'll be liquid-y) white rice and enjoy with some rolls! Sure, it's a carb bonanza but trust me, it's worth it!

Baden liked it as you can tell!

This Sunday night, Baden was cooking some ground beef on the stove because we wanted to have tacos, only to realize that we had taco shells, but no seasoning. With it being Sunday and all, we didn't want to get seasoning, so Baden got creative again. He took the ground beef, made a little gravy for it, cooked green beans and corn and put that on...

then spooned on mashed potatoes and sprinkled some cheddar cheese on top! A meal in one dish! It was de. lic. ious.

We've also been making a lot of fruit smoothies for ourselves with a blender we got as a wedding present. Just a banana, yogurt, ice, and frozen fruit we got a Sam's Club (a mix of strawberries, mango, peaches, and pineapple). It tastes just like a Juice Shop smoothie from home! As Rachel Ray would say, Yumm-O!

More Milestones

2009-08-11T10:42:00.004-04:00

I think it's a rite of passage for a young, married, Mormon girl, to feed the missionaries for the first time with her husband. It so happens that our apartment is right above the missionaries and they were kind enough to help us move in. Baden offered to feed them as soon as we were done moving stuff, and we signed up for Saturday night. I made the green beans and cupcakes you see below, and Baden made ribs and mashed red potatoes. It was so delicious! I wish I had taken a picture of all of us eating though, because we don't have a kitchen table (and no room for one), we gave the missionaries our two TV trays and we ate off the coffee table. It just screamed "poor marrieds" as the SVU crowd would say.

Not that I'm biased, but I think the cupcakes were the best part!

So, in these two or three years while we are married, but don't (fingers crossed) have any kids to blog about, I have a feeling this will turn into a cooking blog. I love baking, but my cooking skills need a little improvement. My husband however, has the creativity needed to blend both of our tastes and make up delicious new recipes. For example, Baden likes lasagna, but I'm not a big fan of any pasta that doesn't have the words "chicken alfredo" in it. So what did he make last night? Why, chicken alfredo lasagna of course! And yes, it was as yummy as these pictures make it look.

We are constantly trolling for recipes to try out, so if you have any favorites please don't hesitate to share them!

It's Official

2009-08-07T12:22:00.008-04:00

We are Mr. and Mrs. Bagley! The wedding was lovely, thanks to everyone who came and wished us well. After the open house in Danville, we were off to Wilmington, NC for the honeymoon. It was so beautiful! Baden knew he loved Wilmington before we went but I had only ever been there for a session of EFY when I was 14, so needless to say, I took my hubby's word for it that it was a cool place. It turned out to be perfect. There was a gorgeous and charming downtown, where we found some cool restaurants and stellar views of the waterfront. There was an awesome place called Flaming Amy's Burrito Barn (we didn't meet the tattoo requirement to be cool enough to eat there, but we managed to get in anyways). And then we spent the last day in Myrtle Beach, where we played mini golf and walked around Broadway at the Beach and ate at the biggest seafood buffet ever built (Baden had plate after plate of crab legs and I had prime rib and cornbread).

The very last day, we both needed our toes worked on. Baden had an ingrown toenail and mine was black from a metal thing falling on it and people stepping on it at the wedding festivities. Luckily, Baden's brother Lorac is a PA and was staying at the beach with his family. He cut a strip of Baden's nail out and poked a hole in mine to squeeze out blood and relieve the pressure. Lovely, huh? But it felt SO much better! Here's a picture of our toes all cute and bandaged up (yes, it was the same toe for both of us).

Lorac working on Baden's toe:

Yes, the operations were performed on a friend's back porch:

Below is the gross picture of both of our toes after they were worked on. Don't be too grossed out, the yellow tint to them is from the cleaning/sanitizing medical swab thing I'm sure you've seen that Lorac used.

Ms. Alton Says Goodnight

2009-07-20T11:56:00.003-04:00

I'll be honest, I won't be blogging much until after the wedding. Actually, make that after the honeymoon. It's been fun sharing my little exploits of getting wedding stuff done now and then, but now it's time to think wedding non-stop until after Saturday. Becuase I'm getting MARRIED THIS SATURDAY! Well, really later then that because I'm lumping the honeymoon and moving into our new apartment with "wedding stuff" as well. Thanks to all you who have read this as I've been posting as Robin Alton. But the next time we meet, I'll be Robin Bagley!

The 'Maids

2009-07-12T19:46:00.013-04:00

I love my bridesmaids, so this post is dedicated to them.

First up, we have Katie Randall. Katie has been there for me through allll the ups and downs of dating Baden this past year and a half. More then once I used her shoulder to cry on, basked in her wisdom, and marveled at her unfailing support. Except for these past couple of months, we have been roommates the entire time Baden and I have been together. I first met Katie as her R.A. in Fall 2007, and since then I've had the pleasure of getting to know just what an amazing person she is. This first picture is from the night we went to prank Ricky (her now-boyfriend) with balloons all over his door. Or maybe is was the time we saran-wrapped another friends car. Either way, here we are showing off our footwear...

This is Katie dressed up for 70s day at school. She doesn't comb that hair of hers out very often so this was a treat to behold!

Next, there's Sara George Kreider. Sara was a roommate of mine my first and second year at SVU, and an incredible one at that. I've also had the honor to be a bridesmaids this past January for her own wedding. Sara's wit, humor, optimism, and laid-back-ness give me something to strive for. She's not only a great friend but a great human being, and a very beautiful woman. Looking through facebook, where I pirated most of these pictures, I couldn't find any of just me and Sara! So instead, here's one of my favorites of her, I believe from her visit to California.

A wedding day princess shot!

Now for the lovely Holli Coats. She and her husband Matt are our closest "couple friends." We basically do everything together if we can possibly help it. Seriously, we have joked that we basically have a four-way relationship. I didn't really get to know Holli until after her wedding, but she is just darn great. She and Matt have been the example to Baden and I of newlyweds, and I'd be lying if I ever said I didn't want to be just like Holli. The pictures below are good examples of the crazy times these kids get up to. Here's one of them ready to go to the rodeo. And no, that's not a dinner plate Matt is wearing, it's a belt buckle.

Here's one of us at Sam's Club on some porch furniture we all fell in love with. Matt is basically the happiest man on earth here. But who wouldn't be?

Rorie Jones is the bridesmaid traveling the farthest for the wedding. She's flying in from Houston, Texas, and the whole wedding wouldn't feel right if she didn't. Rorie was the first friend I made at SVU. We both got to "Rise Up for Honor," the sunrise fireside tradition SVU starts every year off with, and discovered we were both 19 year old transfer students. I remember this because for some reason I felt like that bonded us immediately. While Rorie only spent one semester at SVU, we've stayed in touch and I was able to spend a spring break in Texas with her, and serve as her bridesmaid a year and a half ago. I can't say enough good things about Rorie and the example she has set for me as a bride and wife. I love this picture of us, on her wedding day, with the steeple of the Houston Temple behind us.

Of course I loved Rorie first, but I loved her family very soon after that. This is me with all the Sosa girls (Rorie's three sisters and a cousin), goofing off while trying to keep warm on that winter wedding day!

Rorie and I at the Houston Rodeo, where we got to see Sugarland perform!

Last but certainly not least, my maid of honor, Hannah Whaley. Hannah and I have been best friends since 10th grade, where we figured out the whole Early College thing together. While Hannah has been in a very long term relationship with the wonderful Seth for the vast majority of our history, she has seen me through a few different boys and the few heartbreaks that came with them. I've traveled with Hannah more then any other person outside of my family, come to think of it. We've been to Disney World, where we rode the Aerosmith Rock 'N Roller coaster so many times we lost count and got hit on by a bartender who wanted to take us (two 15 or 16 year olds at the time) out on his motorcycle. I also flew all the way out to Florence, Oregon where Hannah was living, to try and forget about a bad break up for a week. Hannah is protective, but supportive to the max. She's also just drop-dead funny. The kind of funny that's so smart it should really be called "witty," but no one else has ever been witty enough to bring me to uncontrollable tears of laughter the way she does. So I'll just say she is gut-busting hilarious. Until Baden, Hannah was the love of my life. I have no idea what I would do without her to bounce stuff off of for this wedding. And now, she's planning one of her own! If I know Hannah, it's going to be the classiest, greenest, Martha Stewart-approved wedding ever! I'm pretty sure Hannah hates this picture, but I love it. I took this while holding on to my camera for dear life while we spun like crazy on a carnival ride in Oregon.

This is us at Jake's Diner in Greensboro, I believe. Man, I love that girl!

This was a long post but I just had to honor my favorite gals. Can't wait til we're all together ladies!

Holy Temples

2009-07-08T16:25:00.003-04:00

I've had several friends ask me recently about Mormon Temples and why it's so important to me to get married in one. These two short videos explain a lot better then I can the spirit of and reason for Temples. "Mormon Messages" is a whole channel on YouTube, with a ton of great videos like these if you'd like to learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Shuistrology

2009-07-06T17:54:00.002-04:00

Okay, obviously I don't believe in Astrology. But, I was listening to the Bob and Sheri podcast the other day, as I often do, and at the beginning of every month they have this woman named Ellen Whitehurst on to talk about that month's "Shuistrology." It's a mixture of feng shui and Astrology I guess. Anyways, click on the link from the last post below. It will navigate you to the Bob and Sheri website and the second link down says "Shuistrology of the month of July." Click on "Listen Now." (I tried to post it directly, but it's copyrighted material.) It's a few minutes long and you'll hear Ellen ramble on about different stuff at first. But THEN, towards the middle, she gets to the best and worst days of the month according to Shuistrology. I don't want to ruin it before you listen, so just keep in mind that my wedding day is July 25th.

Podcast Enthusiast

2009-07-06T17:53:00.002-04:00

Bob & Sheri :. Heard On the Show

Shared via AddThis

Calm Before the Storm?

2009-07-06T13:15:00.005-04:00

So people have been asking me thing like, "How many days are left?" and "Oh wow, that's really close are you getting nervous at all?" The answers are that there are 19 days left, but no I'm not nervous at all. I know the man I'm marrying very well. We've known and have dated each other waaaay longer then most Mormon couples before getting married. This is happening. I couldn't be more excited. But nervous? Not in the slightest.

When the countdown reached the point of about 30 days left, I started freaking out. Not in a a bad way, but I just started thinking, "We are really getting married...But there's so much more to do first! We don't have this and we don't have that ready yet!" It was a kind of mental hyperventilating. But that has past now. I'm feeling very serene. Come what may, we are getting married on July 25th.

So in the spirit of being all cool and collected about wedding stuff, how about something not related to the wedding at all? This is the video I mentioned in the last post. I took my sister's advice and uploaded it to YouTube first.

To set it up, this is an improv game called "Secrets" with Baden and our friend Bethany Anderson. Before the game, the audience chose a secret for Bethany to know about Baden and vice verse. Baden's secret that he didn't know about himself was that he was born with a tail and Bethany's was that she's completely bald. Then, they were given the situation of a pool party and had to give each other clues as what the other's secret was. Enjoy!

25 Days and Counting

2009-06-29T14:10:00.005-04:00

Hi Blogosphere!

At this point in our engagement, I would have to say we are at the "HOLY CRAP WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!" stage. As of today, Tuesday June 30th, we only have 25 more days before we get married. Whenever I update Baden on how many days there are left he always says, "Well that's 25 days too long!" Or whatever the number was for that day.

I'm not going to get into anything too mushy here, but I can't tell you how much I love that man. After all the death we've seen this past week, I just wanted to hold him and never let go! We've both told each other before that other is never allowed to die. Ever. A lot of times, when we are just sitting around, watching tv, Baden tells me, "I just don't think other people could love each other as much as we do." Or he'll ask, "Do you think other couples have this much fun doing nothing together?" I don't really have a point I'm getting to here. We just love each other. A lot.

Okay, So I was going to post a funny video of a game from a recent Shenanigans show here, but the video has been "loading" for over 12 hours. Does anyone else have these problems with uploading video to their blogs? It's frustrating! Anyways, that video and others will probably be on Facebook soon. So check it out!

Oh and there are more pictures to see on Facebook too. Above is one of my favorites.

First Pictures

2009-06-20T01:59:00.007-04:00

No, Baden and I aren't married yet. But a very good friend of ours, Brinn Willis, offered to take some "Bridals" for me (She's a pro and it was free, am I going to turn that down? No!). We threw Baden in there too so I guess instead of Bridals, these are more like "Pre-Wedding Pictures." If anything, this just got us even more excited for the big day. I can't believe it's only 35 days away!

Bridal Shower!

2009-06-15T15:14:00.008-04:00

The shower was so much fun! Thanks to everyone who came and for the more then generous gifts!

Bad Blogger

2009-06-10T13:18:00.003-04:00

Wow, I haven't blogged at all in the month of June? I feel like a slap on the wrist is in order.

Honestly, I started a long blog but decided to nix the idea. It was all about my trip last week to what Baden calls "The Lady Doctor." After a short inward struggle, I realized, who the heck wants to hear about that? Instead, let's go for some more old fashioned bullet points with wedding updates:

- Our cupcake wedding cake idea unfortunately fell through. Hannah, my maid of honor and bakery connection, told me her boss had to stop giving employee discounts with the economy. Baden and I were sorely disappointed, but it sounds like one of Baden's sisters in law, Tinka, might make one for us. Totally ideal!

-The majority of the invitations have been sent out. My future mother law is still trickling in a few addresses to send some too, but I get the feeling we are still going to have A LOT left over!

-The alterations on my dress are finished! My good friend Brinn Willis, a professional photographer, has offered to take bridals for me, and we're doing that next week. I'm very excited for that!

-The bridal shower is this Saturday! Baden and I are going to spend some time with his parents Friday afternoon and then head to Greensboro for Saturday. My car is in the shop right now, so having him come with me means he won't be without a car all weekend.

Oh, enough of all that! Hope all you people are doing wonderfully :)

Thanks Jay Leno

2009-05-31T15:51:00.006-04:00

I watched Jay Leno's last tonight show with a little sadness. For some reason, a lot of people don't like Leno. They say he's the lowest common denominator as far as comedians, isn't very edgy, and not all that clever. Maybe that's true. But am I the only one with a sort of sentimental attachment to Jay Leno?

My mom told me this story once that when my dad owned his own store in Tampa, he would work late a lot. Mom would wait for him to come home and watch Leno in the meantime. Every night, she knew that sometime in between the monologue/bit part and the celebrity interviews, my dad would be getting home. It's a small thing, but that has stuck with me ever since she told me that. I can picture my mom so clearly, waiting up, with all the kids asleep, watching Jay in anticipation of seeing her husband come home safely.

My parents are America. Take their pulse, and you are taking the pulse of the nation. So it also stood out to me when my mom stopped DVR-ing Leno as she thought his jokes were getting too dirty and switched to Letterman. It only took her a week or two to switch back though because Letterman was too boring!

So I'll miss Leno on the Tonight Show, but I'm excited for Conan and for Jay to be coming back shortly. Thanks for the laughs, Jay.

(I really liked his final show and if you missed it, you can catch it here on Hulu.com - the very end is really cool : http://www.hulu.com/watch/75216/the-tonight-show-fri-may-29-2009 )

Internet Evils

2009-05-29T12:28:00.002-04:00

I have spent the past hour looking for a guest book and nice pen online. Why? Because theknot.com told me too.

theknot.com is the largest and probably most respected and widely used bridal website out there. I have a very complicated, unhealthy, love/hate relationship with it. It keeps me on track as far as things I need to be doing and thinking about such as invitations. It asked me to please research my state's marriage license procedures and I realized that Baden and I could get ours anytime we want because it is good for 60 days in North Carolina. It informed me that I will need to buy presents for my bridesmaids, send thank you notes out after the bridal shower, and provided me with several different options for how to word the invitations. All of these are positives.

However, the struggle I have with theknot.com is the checklist. Oh, the checklist. Anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for checklists and make at least one for myself daily. The Knot gave me the longest checklist I have ever seen. It breaks a wedding down in To Do's depending on how far out from the wedding you are. Since most brides these days are engaged at least a year, the To Do's start one year in advance. I created my account when we were just 4 months away from the big day, so when I clicked on my checklist, I was bombarded with little red exclamations points next to everything that should have been done months ago (when I wasn't engaged!).

Apparently, something that needs to be done as soon as possible is to buy a guest book and nice pen. For the To Do's on the actual wedding day, I'll be able to check off such tasks listed for me as "Remember to relax and smile - who knows when someone is taking a picture," "Remember to thank your parents for all their hard work," and "Confirm with people you expect to give toasts."

Luckily, I got to check off a lot of things early on without actually doing anything - because they didn't need to be done. "Get engagement ring insured." Check! "Give bartender the list of any specialty mixed drinks you'd like to have made." Check! "Give deposits to ceremony and reception venues." Check!

Those checks felt good. But now, I'm still left with a fairly hefty To Do list, of all Big and Important Things. Florist. Wedding bands. Gown fittings. Guest book (I guess guest books are important, but to be listed among the florist? Really theknot.com?).

This is a long post but the short of it is this: theknot.com is my evil mistress while simultaneously saving me and my wedding.

Bride Wars

2009-05-28T19:20:00.003-04:00

Most. Unrealistic. Movie. Ever.

As a bride, watching the ending of this movie was hard. Not to ruin it for anyone, but one of the weddings in the movie doesn't happen and the girl just joins her friend's wedding. As a bride myself, I couldn't stop thinking, "What about all of those guests? You're friends and family? You'd have to return all those gifts! And all that money you put into it that you'll never get back!" Did anyone else think about that afterwards?

That being said, it was a fun and whimsical movie. I actually liked a lot, after putting reality on hold!

Small Town Bride

2009-05-22T23:04:00.004-04:00

So, I was thinking today about my planning thus far. With only a few minor hiccups, it's all gone very smoothly. But I can't help but think wedding planning goes a little more smoothly for small town brides like me overall.

I used to think where I grew up was a small town - good old Greensboro. I thought it was small because most people from other parts of the country haven't heard of it. And we don't really get any big concerts. And the airport is teeny tiny.

But I've since realized the error in my thinking. Now, I really live in a small town, where the nearest place for a decent concert is three hours away and the nearest airport is one hour away (which is smaller then Greensboro's. Want bigger? Three hours away, yet again).

I remember the first time I had spent a really good chunk of time in Buena Vista before visiting home. When I was home and went to the mall, I literally marveled at the escalators and the big open space that is Four Seasons Town Center. I realized that in all of Rockbridge County, where SVU is located, there isn't a single escalator. No need for one.

How does this all tie back to the wedding plans? Take for instance when I took my dress in to be altered. Being in a truly small town, I went to the only dress shop which gave me the number of their only seamstress (Pam. She's awesome.). I met with her and she's altering my dress right now. See? It cuts down a lot of time when you aren't shopping for prices and quality because a girl has to take what she can get around here!

Another example - our invitations were printed up at the only professional printers in town (James. A stoic character, but loveable nonetheless.). I would have fretted over major decisions like these if I lived in Greensboro because there are so many options!

Moral of the story: even if you don't live in a small town, be a small town kind of bride!

Bride's New Pad

2009-05-17T23:35:00.012-04:00

I know you all are just dying to see some pictures from the new place so here there are! I'll only be living here through July, so as you'll see, I'm not super moved in. Whenever I think about unpacking something, I weigh the pros and cons of having to pack it again soon. Anyway, this is the new pad!

The front loading washer and dryer. These things feel futuristic to me. You hit the Power button and everything lights up and makes a friendly little jingle sound.

What's missing from this picture? Why, a dishwasher of course! One of the few drawbacks... my last apartment had one.

Something my last apartment did not have was a kitchen table. We just had stools to sit at this bar thing. I never thought I would think of a kitchen table as a luxury - but it is!

Living room (not very clean, sorry)

Other side of the living room. And yes, that awesome leather furniture came with it!

I was watching The Daily Show.

And upstairs we have...

My room! (Told you, barely moved in at all)

Last but certainly not least, the glorious closet!

And there you have it folks. I can't wait for that future post where I'll put pictures of mine and Baden's first apartment together!

A Bride's Best Friend

2009-05-13T23:49:00.004-04:00

While at Wal-Mart the other day, I was in the planner section. I frequent this section because frankly, organizing, and thus planners, are like crack to me. I love to-do lists, schedules and everything associated with them. Therefore, some of my favorite things are calendars. This little gem, is a portable, easy-to-carry-in-my-purse, yet full size calendar! I was so excited to find this, it was kind of embarrassing. But, when you're living your life in future weeks and thinking in terms of to-do's for future months like I am, this handy dandy tool in positively invaluable! (And yet, the good people at Wal-Mart value it at $3.55)

I know some people really want to see a picture of the ring, so I am finally posting one. For some reason, I couldn't for the life of me get a very good one. It's very simple though with a gold band and a round-cut stone.

Here's the deal with the ring: I think I've told most people that it is not in fact a real diamond. A little while ago, I was anxious to get the real ring, the one I'll wear for the rest of my life. However, upon further reflection, I realized that the money we would spend to get it could be put towards much better and more practical things right now. I'm not a huge fan of the gold band though. So, we'll find another "man made diamond" ring in white gold for now and wait until Baden is out of dental school for the real real real one! Besides, by then I'll have had plenty of time to figure out exactly what I want (and the money to get it). The last thing I want to do right now is go into more debt for a silly rock!

Productive Bride

2009-05-07T23:17:00.005-04:00

Oh, things are happening! I feel like I mainly just list off things that are going on in this blog instead of going into any depth. But I like doing that! And so much stuff develops each day when you're planning a wedding that if I went into much detail, you would be bored quickly. And I don't want to be one of those brides.

So here are todays bullet points:

We officially have the Colfax building reserved. The stake center (my home wards building) was almost entirely booked up, which left me worried. However, Colfax is still very close to home, a decent size, free, and available!

Another thing that has been decided is that we will have a cupcake wedding cake. They are very, very cute and my maid of honor, the lovely and talented Hannah Whaley, works for a wonderful cupcake bakery - http://www.thecupcakeshopperaleigh.com/ It's a great site, check it out! I love their monogramed cupcakes! (And when Baden gets into dental school, you'd better believe I'm getting him those cupcakes with the teeth and toothpaste and brushes. Soo cute!) The sunflower cupcakes you see pictured are not from the Raleigh shop, just a great picture I found. I'm a big sunflower fan.

Graduated Bride

2009-05-06T20:06:00.004-04:00

Hey, people. Yes, I graduated. Thanks to Dad for the pictures! It was a busy, busy day with the ceremony in the morning, lunch with the family at Franks for the Memories (yeah, you read that correctly), moving all my junk to a new apartment, and a big ol' graduation cookout - sponsored by Baden and his roommates. I'm a lucky girl to be marrying a guy who takes so much pride in his barbecue!

In other news, I've actually moved in. I'll post the new address as soon as I actually know what it is...

In other, other news, I had my first wedding dress fitting today! The lady who is doing the alterations (Pam) is a little eccentric, but really knows her stuff. There are only a few minor changes needed, so it shouldn't take long. I am so excited to put on that dress and have it fit perfectly!

Meanwhile, I think I've found a place to get the invitations printed. I ordered completely blank ones because they were on clearance and I've had the hardest time trying to find somewhere that will just print invites, without buying the actual paper from them. But there's actually a business in Buena Vista that will do it! Oh, I love good wedding news!

Homeless Bride

2009-05-05T18:14:00.003-04:00

Yes, I am homeless. Depending on the kindness of strangers for showers and couches to sleep on.

Ok, mabe not strangers. More like freinds. Good friends. Here is why I am homeless: I had to be out of my old basement apartment (referred to hereafter as The Basement) by 6pm on Saturday because another girl was taking my room. Fair enough. But the deal with the new place I was moving to (which will be referred to as The Brotherson Apartment), was that the girl whos spot I was taking wasn't leaving until Tuesday. So from Saturday to Tuesday, I have had my stuff strewn all over Buena Vista and have slept in three different places in three nights.

Well, it's Tuesday. And the room I was going to take is free. However, now someone else is also moving in and rooms needed to be switched around. Long story short, I am waiting for my new roommate to move into the recently empty room and I'll take her old room.

So, my day usually consists of hanging out at the basement, checking in at the brothersons, hoping I can soon move in.

The brotherson apartment will be great though and I'm excited to live there. It's just hard for me, being such an organized person, to be incapable of organizing all my stuff!

Wedding Date!

2009-05-01T21:39:00.009-04:00

We took some engagements the other day - those were some of the best! You can find the rest on Facebook.

Saturday, July 25th 2009 is officially the day that Baden and I are getting married! We want to do it all on one day so, ceremony in Raleigh, then reception in Greensboro that night. We're calling the Temple on Monday so I can be even more specific about times!

So much has been going on lately (as you may have guessed from my lack of blogs). But it's all about to settle down. Or, at least, change. With a date and graduation out of the way (tomorrow), I can finally focus on wedding stuff. Whheeewww.

Okay, just wanted to get the date out there. More to come shortly!

Birthdays Past

2009-04-19T15:41:00.004-04:00

So, my 22nd birthday is coming up this Saturday. I know 22 isn't exactly old, but it got me thinking about birthdays past, particularly the birthdays I've spent at SVU. Oddly enough, even though there was a break up in between, I have been dating Baden over all three birthdays. He has his own theory about that (something to do with me just wanting a boyfriend for special days).

My first birthday at SVU, I was turning 20. My wonderful mom sent me a package full of birthday party essentials. Cake mix, frosting, candles, and all the Cinderella-themed decorations you can think of. Well of course, my roommates and I put the supplies to good use. The big day happened to be the last day of classes. After a Shenanigans show that night, we had some people over for a little shin-dig. Oh, the memories!

Notice the Cinderella hats and the "Kiss Me, It's My Birthday!" pin.

It was a very, very fun party, with now-infamous videos to boot. I would post the videos too, but I get the feeling I should wait to share Baden, Matt and J.J. singing "London Bridge" by Fergie. Maybe after we're married. :)

My 21st birthday was also a lot of fun. It fell on Reading Day, the Friday after the last day of classes that the school gives us every semester to study. Of course, no one ever studies on this day. Baden and I went up to D.C. and walked around the Mall, saw some monuments and stayed at a friends house. A very nice little road trip.

Now, the 22nd birthday is coming up. It'll be fun for sure, but the best present will be having my fiancee home again!

Bumble Bee: 6, Human: 0

2009-04-16T18:32:00.002-04:00

I've been locked in an epic battle all day with a bumble bee. Literally. I had a very early meeting this morning, and everything was normal. I left and came back to my house with no problems.

However, when I needed to go to a piano lesson, there was this bee hovering above the top of the stairs. For those of you who don't know, I live in a basement apartment so there are stairs to walk up outside to get to the street and my car. So I was going to get in my car, but there was this bee in the way. He wasn't flying around, and he wasn't coming after me. He was just hovering there. Guarding the place or something.

I've been stung by bees five times in my life. I know it sucks. A lot. I really wanted to avoid adding to that total. So I bravely went around the back side of the house and walked to my lesson. That was the bee's first victory.

Then, coming home, I remembered the bee and thought he might still be around. So with out even checking, I walked around the back of the house again. When I was about to walk through the front door, I glanced up the stairs I had avoided, and there he was! An hour later! Still just hovering! Second victory.

Same thing for ballet later in the day. I walked around the stairs, but out to my car this time. Third victory. Coming back, I didn't see him there and thought maybe he finally got bored. As I was approaching the steps to finally use them today, he came out of nowhere! The bee just swooped in, and resumed hovering! Still not coming after me, but I was starting to get seriously creeped out! Fourth victory.

Well, the crazy creepy bee that apparently has a longer attention span and more dedication then I do is still there! Since I do have to go out at least once more today, I'm expecting today's total to be Bumble Bee: 6, Human: 0. Sorry to all my fellow homospaiens for making us as a species look foolish all day.

Updates and such...

2009-04-12T13:09:00.002-04:00

Being engaged is a lot easier without a fiance.

Don't get me wrong, I still have a fiance... he's just not here! Baden is off on his long journey to drive his brother's car across the country. He drove from Chapel Hill, NC to Cape Girardeau, MO on Thursday and has stayed with a brother there since. Tomorrow (Monday), he'll start the longest leg of his trip. A 23-hour drive from Missouri to Provo, UT. I'm hoping he splits it up between two days! After a few days of hanging out with friends in Provo, he'll head up to Seattle to see yet another brother. I'm just counting down the days til he flies back on the 24th!

In the meantime, my focus is my Senior Paper. I was a little overwhelmed by it at first, but I realized last night that with what I have aready, all I have to do is write 3 pages a day and I'll be done with it by the end of the week!

There isn't too much wedding stuff I can do while I'm here. When Baden gets home we'll take some engagement pictures. Once we have a date, we can reserve the Temple, Stake Center, and a photographer. I'm waiting til I get home to have a family friend make alterations to my dress. There was a little hiccup with the Bridesmaids dresses, and I'll probably switch to a little more expensive, but completely modest, dress.

There isn't much to update, since my life will be pretty boring without my future husband for the next two weeks!

It's Here! It's Here!

2009-04-09T17:47:00.002-04:00

My wedding dress arrived today! I was just finishing breakfast, when I heard Katie start shouting something. I realized she was shouting, "Robin! Roooobin!!" I ran out, not exactly dressed, and there was Sister Lund, delivering a big box that had been left at the upstairs front door. Katie told her it was my wedding dress and she was very, very excited too.

Well, with Katie's help, I ripped open the box (oddly enough, it was smaller then I thought) and found my beautiful, gorgeous, dream-come-true dress! It was in protective plastic, which was also quickly ripped open. Of course, I had to try it on right away. So without a shower or any make up yet, I put in on.

It's perfect. It needs just the alterations I thought it would, a little around the hem and bust. Other then that, all I have to do is make sure I don't gain or lose any weight from now til the end of summer! :)

If you want a picture of it, or the link to the website I got it from, just let me know. I would post it, but I'm really trying to not let Baden see it!

2009 NCAA Champions

2009-04-07T10:59:00.003-04:00

I'm a Duke fan. I don't think that's a secret. Sure, Duke hasn't been as good as Carolina in recent years, but I can't help it. I love my Blue Devils.

Today, after Biology Lab, I was headed out of the building when I noticed a couple guys set up with doughnuts and drinks. One of them asked me what I was doing this summer. My mind went a little blank and before I stupidly said "nothing" I caught myself and said "I'm getting married" instead! The guy was really nice and asked me when and where. When I said Raleigh, he asked if I was Carolina fan (with it being the day after their big win and all). I said, "No, actually I'm a Duke fan. But my fiance is a Carolina fan."

Well, the other guy who had been quiet up to that point suddenly chirped in. He said, "It's not going to work."

Now, I know this guy was just kidding. But honestly, I don't have any tolerance for people who love Carlina and hate Duke, or the other way around. I know hatred is what makes the rivalry great and all, but Baden and I just don't understand those people who hate to see their rivals win anything.

Last night, I was cheering for Carolina whole heartedly and I couldn't be more proud that a team from my home state proved themselves to be the best in the nation. That's why the doughnut guys comment didn't make any sense to me. There are only two times a year that Baden and I root against the other's team and that's when they play each other. Duke lost fair and square in this tournament a few rounds ago, and just because I'll be back cheering for them next year doesn't mean I'm going to begrudge my fiance any happiness.

Sorry doughnut guys, but it is going to work because Baden and I have what so many Duke and Carolina fans lack for their opposing sides: respect.

Trust us, we WANT to set the date already!

2009-04-05T19:23:00.002-04:00

Okay, second post in one day. I forgot something, don't judge me! So we really, really want to set a wedding date. Like, really, really want to! But there is a specific reason for why we don't have one yet.

My friend, Kaitlin, is also getting married this summer and set her date with her fiance for August 11th. However, the Greensboro Sake Center wasn't available for a reception that day! Which got me thinking... We really need a free place to have the reception. Our budget is small as it is, and if we had to pay for some place to have the reception... well, it wouldn't be good!

So, I emailed Brother Witbeck, the guy in charge of scheduling the Stake Center for such events. Since basically all of July and a little bit of August is open for Baden and I, I told him that we would schedule our date around when the building was available. However, since it is General Conference weekend, no one is in their offices and he said he wouldn't be able to see the schedule for the building til next Sunday (the 12th) at the earliest. Hopefully I will hear from him soon after that and we will have a date for you all to save on your calendars! Basically, I don't have anything for you date-wise for at least another week. Sorry!

Big Weekend

2009-04-05T18:15:00.003-04:00

This weekend was a big one for your favorite engaged couple. On Friday, we had a great night just staying in. We rented "Bedtime Stories," that Adam Sandler movie. It was really cute, I highly recommend it!

Saturday was the big day. I worked in the morning, opening Joyful Spirit Cafe at 9am and had to stay til about 2:30. Work always drains me, but I had to quickly shower that Joyful smell off me because Baden and I were headed to Roanoke. We went to a couple stores, and flashed some bar codes on stuff we liked with little guns. In wedding speak: we registered!

We started off at Target. I had heard earlier in the day from a recently married couple that Target is the best place to register because of all their selection. We had a great time picking out bedding and kitchen gadgets and such. Baden also registered us for a Playstation, settling a long debate we had about it. At first, of course I didn't want to put a silly thing like a Playstation on our wedding registry! I don't want my future husband addicted to video games! Plus, Playstations are $400 and if someone is even going to spend that much money on a gift for us, I wouldn't want it to be a Playstation when we need more important things! But Baden, in that calm and reasonable way he has, explained that Playstations are also Blu-Ray players. And that he aready has Rock Band for Playstation but he wouldn't buy any more games for it. So, as you might see, the Playstation is on the Target registry.

We also went to Bed, Bath and Beyond. This wasn't as fun because we were already getting tired and we had to wait around for this "consultant" guy to hook us up with guns and follow us around the store. Well, we hit some smaller, kitchen-type stuff there as well as this mattress topper that was expensive but feels like heaven! I'm secretly hoping for that thing the most!

Afterwards, I realized we basically registered for a few big things and a lot of little things, but not very many things in the middle-range. Oh well! From what we hear, we'll mostly get gift cards anyways. And we'll be very, very happy with them!!

Here's the link to the Target list:

http://www.target.com/registry/wedding/1BC15DYZH28G9

Our stuff isn't up online yet for Bed, Bath and Beyond. But all you have to do is type in either my name or Baden's on their website and you can find it... once it is on there.

Basically, we had a really fun time picking stuff out for our future home! It's hard to tell exactly what we need since we aren't sure what kind of apartment we'll have. But whatever apartment we get and whatever stuff we have, we are just so excited to be married and start our lives together.

It's funny, we've been dating so long that you'd think everything is just the same even though we're engaged. But it's not! This past week, we couldn't help but marvel at how much our reletionship has evolved. All of the sudden, we are so impatient to get to the Temple and be sealed forever!

Student Bride

2009-04-03T13:17:00.002-04:00

I'll just come out and say it. It's a huge drag to be a student while engaged. All I want to do is look up pictures of weddings, write this blog, and look forward to my dress getting here.

But noooo! I have to write a stupid 20-page paper! With Baden's big plans for driving his brothers car accross the country soon, I'll have a ton of time to work on it. But still! I used to be so interested in researching and writing my senior paper, especially since I got to pick a topic I love. But that's all out the window now. Seriously, "Symbolism in the Northern Renaissance"? What was I thinking?

It's gotten bad enough that I think I'll just have to take my computer and books somewhere public to work on it because if I'm just sitting in my room, there's no way I'm not getting distracted by my new obsessions. (My favorite new obsession is tackyweddings.com - check it out!)

At least I only have less then a month of school left. I totally feel for the girls now who were engaged very early in the semester and have waited all this time for summer to come. It just can't come fast enough!

The Highly Anticipated Engagement Story

2009-04-02T17:43:00.004-04:00

Yes, yes I'm finally going to give you the engagement story. And since I can't give you just a long written post, here's a goofy picture of us when we were both old ladies for Halloween this past year.

The day Baden and I first met, I was new to SVU and he was fresh off his mission. My home teachers were two wonderful guys named Matt Coats and Harry Kreider. The first time they home taught me and my roommates, Matt mentioned this guy Baden had just gotten home and really needed to come up to Buena Vista for a visit. Anyways, Matt started hanging around my house a lot and one time he brought Baden with him. When we were introduced, Matt, Baden and my roommate Camille were all sitting around our kitchen table. I was getting ready to turn in for an early night and already had taken my make up off. I was so embarrassed! But I thought, "Why do I care what this guy thinks of me? I might not ever see him again!" So the little group in the kitchen were watching some YouTube videos and I joined in for a few minutes and then went to bed. Romantic, right? That was sometime in October, 2006.

Fast forward about two and a half years later, and Baden and I have been dating continuously for 16 months. We had started talking about marriage very seriously since I was graduating and making plans for what to do after I got that diploma. Baden had told me he was positively sure about getting married. So I knew an engagement was coming down the road. But I thought it would be sometime in mid-to-late April. I had no idea it would come this soon!

So last Sunday, after Baden's ward ended around 4pm, he asked if I wanted to just get away for a drive, up to the Parkway or something, for a little alone time. It was a beautiful day and I was excited to really enjoy it. Well, we start driving (Baden's still in his church clothes, looking very dapper) and I noticed we weren't headed for the Parkway, but out to the country somewhere instead. I finally recognized that we were on the way to this little bridge we have been to a couple times before on romantic dates. It's a short, concrete bridge, very low over the water. And the river it's over is pretty wide with a lot of free flowing, rushing water.

Well, we talk and enjoy the weather for a little bit, and then Baden sits me down on the front of the car and says "Don't move, I'm going to go put some music on." He goes in the car and I didn't hear any music come on. Instead, he comes back out with a little box in his hand and gets down on one knee. He said, "I love you. And this is where that love started a long time ago. Robin Marie Alton, will you marry me?" By this time, I'm completely in tears but managed to squeak out, "Yes!" We hugged and cried and he put the ring on my finger. It was lovely. I always wanted to be a little surprised when I was proposed to and it happened! I also never pictured getting engaged in the middle of the day, so I thought that was different and cool.

And there you have it! There are a lot of neat little stories in our history that I'll have to tell (for instance, how I did NOT kiss him first!), but this is already a long post. All in all, it was a wonderful and lovely way to get engaged and I wouldn't trade it for any other way!

Oh, and P.S. - I would post a picture of the ring, but it's a stand-in for right now. Baden's waiting on his tax return and is going to buy the real one with that. Once that one comes, you'll definitely get some pictures!

Wedding Dress!

2009-03-31T17:09:00.002-04:00

It has been one productive day! I ordered my wedding dress today! And no, I can't stop using exclamation points! The dress is beauuuutiful and just what I wanted. I haven't even tried it on, but I know the style and everything will look good. I ordered it on the phone from Sandy, Utah and since they had my exact size and everything, it's shipping within the next three days! I would post a link to the website so you all could check it out, but Baden looks at this blog too, and he can't see it! (sorry, hun)

It might seem a little ridculous that I'm barely two days into being engaged and already have my dress on the way. And you would be right in thinking that's ridiculous! But, I found this dress months ago when my friend, Elizabeth Murdock, showed me her dream wedding dress, which was on the same site. We kept flipping through the other dresses, and there it was! So while the engagment is still brand new, my love for this dress isn't. :)

So one huge decision is already made. And this is hopefully going to be the theme of this wedding planning business. Quick decisions. Come to think of it, that's how I've always shopped. My mom and my sister have a gift for spending a lot of time in one store, pouring over the racks and finding the very best deals. But me? I like the peruse. Scan. Glance. That's about it. And keeping that attitude up means I can spend less time planning the little (and, in the long run, less important) things and more time enjoying my fiance!

My Man is a Rock Star!

2009-03-30T16:05:00.003-04:00

We had a really fun night a couple weeks ago just playing Rock Band with a bunch of friends.

This is Baden's performance of "Nine in the Afternoon" by Panic at the Disco. Adam Reeves and Greg Lane are on guitar and the great Kathryn Hinds on drums!

Sorry ladies, but this man is officially taken!

Diary of a Mad Bride

2009-03-30T00:37:00.001-04:00

When I was a precocious young reader, I read this book called Diary of a Mad Bride. Not "mad" as in angry, but simply crazy with so much wedding stuff to do. I don't remember who it's written by, but it's just a silly chick-lit kind of novel.

I was thinking about that book today and realized "Aha! That will be my blog!" See, I've wanted to create a blog for a while, but just felt like I really didn't have anything to say. But now, I'm sure I'll need a place to post ideas, vent frustrations, and gain inspiration from all you wonderful people!

I'll post the dating story and proposal story and all that fun stuff later. But for now, welcome to my bridal diary of sorts!