Christmas/Anniversary/Interviews...and more

We have been so busy lately! We started by traveling to South Bend, Indiana where Jimmy had an interview. It was really nice- he liked the program and I even got to go to all of his interviews with him! We saw the town and looked at homes. Its a nice little college town (Notre Dame) and we think we would like it there-although my family would probably cry if we didnt move back to AZ.

This is the B&B the Program paid for us to stay at- the Oliver Inn- it was Beautiful!

Next, we drove to the Hamptons for our 1 year anniversary. Jimmy surprised me with a little B&B for the night. It was so pretty. We even drove all the way out to Montauk to this really cool lighthouse. The town was super cute and it even snowed! In fact it snowed all night and all the highways were closed in the mornings! It took Jimmy and the other guests hours to get the cars out. We had so much fun!

The Montuak Lighthouse-Hamptons

The little B&B in South Hampton- Breakfast was sooo good!

Then, we flew home to Phoenix for another interview and Christmas. We had dinner with the residents from Phoenix Baptist and then Jimmy interviewed the next day. However, I ate some bad food at dinner and was stuck lying on the floor of the bathroom with food poisoning! It was the worst! I wanted to die. Luckily I was staying with Jimmy's family and Doctor Gunn Sr. brought home some good drugs for me- he even hooked me up to an IV- I felt so much better after that. I barely ate anything for the next couple of days because my stomach was still sensitive. I actually LOST WEIGHT over Christmas- something I never thought possible. We had a wonderful holiday with the family-I got a new Fip-video camera- so now I can post video on my blog. Here is a short one from Christmas morning at my parents.

One Year....

We are in love. We are happy. We have a wonderful life together.

Madison Square Garden

On Wednesday night, we went to Madison Square Garden to watch the ASU Sun Devils take on the Duke Blue Devils. Jimmy, being ASU alumni and both of us growing up in the valley, we decided it was a rare opportunity to see them play out here in NY. We had been wanting to go to an event at MSG for some time but tickets were pricey. When I found out that ASU would be in town for a tournament, we had to go. We had a really good time. It wasnt very crowded and it was fun to be some of the only ASU fans in a crowd of blue. Although we knew Duke was probaby going to stomp us- we were proud of our Sun Devils. The game was neck and neck for the most part until Duke pulled away the last few minutes.

Fork em' Devils
We got in our ASU gear- we stuck out in the sea of Duke fans wearing blue! The place where we sat smelled of stale beer- Im betting the entire arena does-nasty Jimmy even got on the JUMBO TRON! It was the highlight of his night.

Family Fun

This past weekend my sister Tricia and her husband Kenny came to visit. They left the two older kiddos at home and just brought baby Landon. It was such a treat to have them here and for them to see the sights in the city. They had a blast and took a three day tour extravaganza and saw just about everything. Jimmy and I went into the city with them one day and did the Top of the Roc. It was such a gorgeous, clear day- which can sometimes be a rare thing in New York. We had a fun time with the Mayers. The gorgeous view from the Top of the Roc

Overlooking Central Park
Tricia and I- the sun was right in our faces

We love the show 30 Rock- Jimmy kept humming the theme song

Jimmy carried Lando around all day- He actually liked it- It was good practice for the future...someday:)

Halloween Fun

Last night Jimmy and I had a few friends over for a little Halloween party. I know we are a little old to still be dressing up but its just so fun I cant help myself. We all went out to dinner (yes, in our costumes) and then came back to our apartment for some games and dessert. We had a pretty good time!

We went patriotic this year

"I want YOU!"The Briggs were a pumpkin patch- this pictures doesnt do it justice- it was really cuteMichael won best costume- he is convinced the red pants is what sealed it.

I'm feeling like Martha...

Lately I have been on a big craft, cooking, homemaking kick. I dont really know why but I constantly want to use my creative energy to try new recipes and decorate my little apartment-I think I have been channeling Martha. It was fate when my friend Afton told me she and some friends had an extra ticket to the Martha Stewart show. We had a really good time at the taping. Martha and her pals taught us a new porkloin recipe, how to make fun homemade Halloweeen costumes, and how to appreciate creepy, crawling pets and insects.
We got to sit in the front row! She was pretty close to us.
I have not seen Afton in a long time and it was fun to finally meet up in the city.We will totally be on TV October 28th!Martha's set was really nice. It has a kitchen, craft area, and garden.These are a few of my latest craft creations- thanks to Jen FeldmanI cant wait for Christmas to come and to hang this up! I also made homemade apple cider the other day-it made the house smell so good- I also still have a ton of apples left from the orchard and I have already made like 3 huge pies. My next apple recipe is going to be apple sauce and making some potpourri!

Apple Picking

We have come to find that a common fall activity in the northeast is apple picking. We have had some friends tell us about it and I was dying to go. I finally convinced Jimmy it would be fun. We drove about an hour north through the beautiful countryside. All the leaves are fantastic shades of orange, red, and yellow. I forgot how wonderful the changes of seasons can be. We pulled up to Barton Orchards and there must have been 200 cars on the lot. It was packed with families. The orchard not only had apples but pumpkins, fruits, veggies, shops, and kiddie games and rides. It was quite a cool place. It was a perfect fall day and in the end we had a lot of fun.

On the hay ride taking us to the apple orchard

Jimmy searching for the perfect apple

Trying to reach those high branches

Climbing the trees is a big no no but Jimmy is such a rebel

(I had to keep a lookout)

Up and down the rows and rows of trees full of all different types of apples

I felt sad for all of the bad apples

Our 1/2 bushel of hand picked apples!

Jimmy's perfect apple

MMM! (ok so I only faked taking a bite)

I picked, I peeled, I sliced, I latticed, I baked, I conqured making an apple pie

completely from scratch.

Our Humble Abode

When we moved into our apartment in NY we quickly realized how spoiled we were out west where everything is new and spacious. Well our apartment is over 50 years old (which is considered quite new) and lets just say not everything in it is convienent. Having no laundry, garbage disposal, or dishwasher is the norm for a NY apartment. Our kitchen and bathrooms are only as big as the swinging door with allow and the outside hallway always smells like Indian food- but hey we have learned to love living here.

Here is a tour of our home-dont worry- its very short

Welcome!

Our little dining room just opposite the door.

My next goal is to add cute curtains

The itty bitty kitchen just off the dining room

Basically only a one person wide kitchen- fitting two is difficult

The family room a little down the hall- luckily this room is nice and big

Between a history teacher and a doctor- we have a lot of books- this isnt even all of them

"Jimmy's bathroom"- different bathrooms is a key in a our marriage

Our bedroom My bathroom- beware objects in the picture are even smaller than they appear

The spare room- basically our room where we put the rest of our junk- I am hoping to buy a futon and make it more of a guest room/office- it has a long way to go!