yes, everything IS bigger in texas.

tristyn came in town last weekend so i could try and convert her to become a texan. if it wasn't for the weather and the cowboys, i think she would be up to moving here. we had a nice relaxing weekend and did a few things in dallas that i hadn't experienced yet either.

we went to the hard rock cafe down in the west end. tristyn collects things from hard rock in every city, and i have since started over the last few cities.

we went to the dallas farmers market. i had been here before and love it. free samples galore! it is really pretty right now with all the fall plants and pumpkins up for sale. if you live near by i recommend heading over there. if anything, you get some free yummy samples.

the texas state fair was huge. i had been to the idaho and utah state fair, but the texas one is about 5 of those combined. i finally tried a fletcher's corny dog- yes, they are worth all the hype, and we shared some fried oreo's. they were delicious. we however skipped out on other fried goods such as fried poptarts, cookie dough, frito pies, lemonade, and many other "clog your artery" goodness. we didn't go on the ferris wheel, which is apparently the tallest in the nation.

i think i wore tristyn out of the ranger's games. don't worry, she now owns a ranger's shirt which she will wear with pride. it has been a blast having the ranger's be in the series living here. jam- i'm not sure if my experience is the same/similar to yours in boston, but it is quite the experience. go rangers!

we also went to the dallas world aquarium. it was more like a tropical zoo, but it was worth the money to get in. it kind of made me feel like i was in ecuador again.

we saw two movies...living up to our tradition. "life as we know it" is a must see (at least per my rating...i loved it!) and "easy a" (which is another must see, if you are under maybe the age of 30??) sorry mom and dad..that one may not be for you.

the weekend was a lot of fun and it was nice to have a friend in town! thanks trist for coming to the glorious heat of dallas.

fall time in kansas city.

being only 9 hours from kansas city, my brother and his family and I decided to drive up and see my parents and my sister and niece when they came in town to see my parents. we had a lot of fun being together as it has been almost two years since all 3 siblings have been home at the same time; it was also maren's first trip to kansas.

we made a trip to the pumpkin farm which was a lot of fun. it is a working farm so eli of course loved he animals and farm equipment. the weekend we were in kc it was really warm (in fact it felt like dallas) so we spent a ton of time outside.

the 9th was eli's 3rd birthday (he is growing up so fast! where has time gone?) it was fun to be at nana and papa's house. he loved it! he got lots of playdough, puzzles, football, and a grill from his auntie and aunt jamie. he currently is obsessed with baseball (right in time for the series. good job eli (and he knows who to cheer for, too!)). he is quite the doll.

maren is getting so big! she sitting, rolling, scooting, and boy can she squeel. she has the cutest sassy personality. she is the cutest little girl and her personality just makes her even cuter! she will be crawling before i know it (if she hasn't already). she is going to be a mover and a shaker for sure.

tate is the sweetest little boy. he is such a charmer and a cuddler. what more could a girl ask for, right? i can't believe he is almost 15 months already.

thanks mom and dad (and sophie, too) for having a full house!

yes ma'am.

i have now converted to southern living. dallas is fantastic...if you have never been here, i HIGHLY recommend it. there is so much culture, good food (don't ask how i know that), and the people are extremely friendly. since i've been here a few things have changed about me. here is the top 7 list of changes.

1. i now have enough belongings to furnish my own apartment (and a cute one at that). although it is still in process of, it is coming together...slowly.

soon to be the home of a table...like i said..slowly coming together.

my kitchen! i love it.

view from my balcony. love the pool and the fact that it is october and still open.

2. my vocabulary has changed drastically. i now answer to most things with a yes/no ma'am and call most females by miss. whoever. i'm still trying to resist from saying i'm fixin' to....but i have a feeling it may be coming shortly.

3. i have had to learn how to chart on paper. yes, paper. like the stoneages. let me tell you, i miss computer charting like nothing else. i love my job here. baylor is a good company to work for and transplant is exciting and very interesting. please baylor, hurry and switch to modern day nursing.

4. i have eaten enough tex-mex to last me a life time (thank you chuy's)...but am still learning about soul food. i constantly get teased at work that i didn't grow up on red beans and rice, corn fritters, and that i don't know how to make homemade fried chicken.

5. it is october and is still in the 70's and 80's, but i'm FREEZING when it hits below that! my body is confused now at what is a normal temperature for a 4 season climate.

6. i am thorougly enjoying a city that has avid sports fans of four major league sports. kac-i'm trying my hardest to be faithful to my word and not become a mav's fan despite constant harassment. i'm still holding out, promise.

7. the mall here is fantastic. however, i have had to learn to window shop, and fast.

overall...i really do love it here. please, if you want to come visit, just let me know!

"days go by..."

i just wrote a huge post...and some how deleted it.

so ya'll are getting the shortened version.

*after maren was born on april 26...

*i had to get six stiches in my right 2nd finger after cutting it on an ampule at work on april 28...that night it decided to split open, sending me to the er. thank you instacare...

*on april 29, tristyn and i headed to san fran where we saw wicked, played and shopped at pier 39, fishermans wharf, and ghiradelli square, stayed and shopped at union square (thank you san fran for having h&m), saw a sf giants game and the sea lions, and rode the trolley.

* after san fran, i enjoyed provo for a few weeks, until the bachelorette started on may 24. yes, sadly it is one of my guilty pleasures. ali, please send frank home. he isn't any good. roberto and chris...i'll take either one thanks. that night i also went to dinner and a concert (angels and airwaves) with erica, tristyn, car, and kelsey.

* the 26-31 of may i went to visit miss maren and her parents. they showed me around town and maren showed me what it is like to have a new born around. (i'm still ENJOYING single life aka sleep). haha...no she is totally worth it and her auntie loved every minute of her.

* the 18-21 of june, tristyn, carlee, and i went to vegas for carlee's belated 21st birthday. we say mystere (my favorite cirque show), ate lots of good food, and shopped (thanks h&m).

*a few days after vegas, i flew home to kc to see mom, dad, and soph before moving. we watched lots of movies and tons of the world cup. well i mostly watched the players (this is what my mom told me [: ) portugal and spain must have #7 as their lucky numbers or something. mom was also tired of me talking about the nba draft, specifically where blessed lebron was going. since the mystery is over now she has a few months before the drama/saga starts. i also got to spend time with old friends and had plenty of time to lay out.

* june 30...ECLIPSE. enough said. iggy's +all my closest friends (-kac since she had 2 sleeping children at home)+eclipse= the best (last) night in provo. thanks everyone...and i miss you all so much!

*the 4th of july my parents and i drove up to montana for maren's blessing. she is growing up so fast and has the cutest personality. she is my favorite niece (ahem..only) and has the cutest smile.

* july 6-7 were spend driving to my new home! i love it here. dallas could not be more perfect for me. i feel so at home and have met so many great people at work already. i'm so excited for what is to come. thanks everyone for all your love and support over the past few months of me being stressed out beyond belief.

thanks to cj and mard and the boys for putting up with me taking over there house..or at least 1/2 of it. what a blessing to live by/with family.

**ps...did i tell you how cute my apt is?**

it is pretty stinkin' cute.

thank goodness for nieces

I HAVE A NIECE!

this post is well over-do. hopefully one day she will forgive me.

welcome miss maren hannah marshall.

april 26, 2010 at 0555

7lbs 1oz and 20.5 in long

she is absolutely perfect and darling. i am so excited to go to montana at the end of this month to meet her (and see jamie and robert).

a little jazz lovin'

i've never been a huge basketball fan. over the past year or two, the sport has grown on me since utah has no idea about any other sport...and also kacie is a die-hard jazz fan and has gotten me quite into it. kacie, tristyn, and i went to one of the play-off games with the nuggets vs. jazz it was a blast...now we just need to beat the lakers.

don't worry....i didn't forget.

here are the much promised pictures of the boys from my trip to dallas.

of course..we spent LOTS of time outside.

i love this picture...i somehow got him to turn towards me while he was busy. this boy has a one track mind.

this is prior to being under the wrong tree at the wrong time....

eli's favorite thing in the world to do...fishing.

my little tater tot.

i'm so excited to be living close so i can see my boys more often!