The Cooleys

The Cooley Chronicles

2010-08-22T19:26:00.001-07:00

Tanner talked me into starting a new blog using tumblr.com and I love it! So I will no longer be posting here...please check out thecooleychronicles.tumblr.com to see what we are up to :)

Valentines Day

2010-08-17T19:38:00.001-07:00

Kirsten and I are trying to get back into normal routines. It has been tough to do with my travel schedule, but tonight, I think we accomplished our goal.

Before I started my new job, we used to do different events on different nights. Tuesday was blog night. So today, I am writing the blog for the both of us (only because I got an amazing new app on my phone, blogpress).

After Kirsten got off work, which was at a decent hour, we had an amazing dinner out of our P90X book, beef and broccoli stir fry. And, if I'm not mistaken, you can scroll down and read what Kirsten posted about this amazing meal earlier in the year (we will post the recipe for all of you one of these days). Anyway, after our dinner on the deck, we came inside and Kirsten began her first arts and crafts project since we moved to Virginia.

She is creating a canvas Kirsten original to go in our bathroom if I ever get around to re-painting it. I'm 90 percent sure this masterpiece would sell for big bucks if it ever hit Michaels, but we'll settle for it filling the empty wall space in our redecorated half bath.

While she is letting that dry, we're sitting here watching Valentine's Day and taking silly pictures. So, now that we are forcing a schedule on ourselves, you can expect to get more updates like this.

G.T.K.

2010-05-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

So lately I have been on an Amazon Kindle kick. I've been researching everything about it and last night I was relaying all the useful information I had learned about the amazing product. I was telling Tanner everything from the price of the product ($259), to the price of the ebooks ($2 to $10), to the fact that there is no monthly fee (for 3G service), to the fact that you can read in daylight or in the dark, I even threw in a quote from the creator of the Kindle.

After I had blabbered on for a good ten minutes Tanner responded with a simple, "GTK, babe."

In my mind I was like GTK?? Oh! "Get the Kindle?!" I was so happy that I had convinced him that the purchase of a Kindle was a good idea!!!

He shook his head and said, "Good to know."

Damn acronyms, they always get the best of me.

Teach a (wo)man to fish

2010-05-23T16:17:00.000-07:00

In the past Tanner used to be worried about leaving me at home when he went out of town. The funny thing is that it wasn't because he was afraid for my safety it was because he thought I might starve to death. Well good news is that fear is slowly subsiding and that is pretty much thanks to P90X.

Since I work late it has become pretty routine for me to call when I'm on my way home and Tanner makes dinner while I'm driving so we can eat before 9 p.m. Which pretty much gives me no time to experience anything in the kitchen besides eating. But the P90X plan has lead us to spend most of our free time planning, buying, and preparing meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We have both been so into it. Tanner has been doing most of the preparing and since I am a habitual list maker I have really become involved and have been making intricate lists for us. This has taught me where all the healthy items are hiding in the grocery store.

When I realized Tanner would be out of town for 5 days for a business trip I knew that my old ways of Subway sandwiches, turkey roll-ups, and cereal were not going to cut it. So I have been asking Tanner the tough questions while he's cooking and even got him to let me slip in and get some hands on experience. The question I find myself asking the most is, "Well how did you know that?" I have to give Tanner some serious credit because it cannot be easy dealing with a domestically challenged individual and getting texts that say how long do you cook broccoli for and how do I cut these green onions while he is networking with important people.

Last weekend when Tanner left to Chicago slash L.A. I was definitely thrown into the fire. I did not have the skills to accomplish any of the tasks before me. But I can proudly say that I did not frequent McDonald's or Subway the entire time he was gone and the fact that I was alone made it so I couldn't be scared I just had to face the fiery stove.

I spent the entire weekend focused on my mission of learning to be self sufficient. With the help of Tanner call/texts, google searches, and youtube views I was able to create spinach/feta scramble, turkey with gravy, lemon garlic chicken and pork tenderloin salad. The best moment was when I came across this little jem:

I imagined these would be the worst few days of my life but I was having so much fun prepping my OWN meals, reorganizing the kitchen so I could reach things and watching the cooking channel. I have always been so afraid of the idea of cooking, who knew I would actually enjoy it? I am pretty sure this is beginning of something great.

Autopilot

2010-05-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I read a couple articles from a blog called the The Happiness Project. This month's theme is Mindfulness, it had a quiz so I decided to take it and I did pretty awful. Being mindful means not being careless, really paying attention to the task at hand a.k.a unitasking..(I was just trying to watch a movie and write this post at the same time putting a half effort into both), being attentive, focused, and well you get the idea.

After reading this article I felt inspired to make an effort to be more mindful. Being conscious of the fact that you need to work on something is the easy part, actually following through is another story. I was thinking about this all morning from the time I got up...be more mindful, be more mindful, be more mindful...until the moment I watched myself open my trunk, set down my bags, pick up my purse, reach up to close the trunk, and Oh No! There is, or shall I say was, my keys. Smooth. Apparently mastery of mindfulness isn't achieved on day one.

Habits

2010-05-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

Once long ago Tanner purchased the P90X DVDs in with the plan of becoming ripped in 90 days. Well that lasted for quite a while until the the thought of working out in the living room one more time with Tony Horton become too much too handle. These DVDs have pretty much been collecting dust since and our eating habits have slowly evolved into asking each other what's the fastest thing we can cook or order. Which unfortunately usually happens to have the most calories and fat.

We had an awakening when we realized it was swimsuit season and have decided we definitely need to make a plan. We have a gym membership at Lifetime so Tanner has decided he is going to take his P90X workouts to the gym 6 days a week and I plan to get there as many days a week as I can. But let's be honest that's not the only part of a healthy lifestyle...food choices may be just as important if not more important. And the good news is that P90X came with a meal plan. We thought the first step to feeling healthier would be to give this plan another shot. So it starts today everyone. We went to the grocery store and spent most of our morning in the produce section and the rest of our time searching for things we had never purchased before like soba noodles and ginger. We then proceeded to empty our wallets for the cashier. It sucks that food that is good for you costs so much more than all those yummy, I mean nasty, processed foods.

We have been super healthy all day but we have also been wearing ornery pants...I guess if you're not used to eating healthy in portioned sizes you get ornery. We did get happy when we prepped and ate our amazing dinner, beef and broccoli stir-fry.
It was to die for. Its been about an hour and Tanner just said with wide eyes, "I would love to have waffles and syrup and bacon right now." I am pretty sure this is going to be quite the challenge but hopefully we will make some good habits in the process.

1,2,3.....Mexico!

2010-04-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Last week we hopped on a plane for our first vacation out of the country...we didn't prepare much besides booking the flight and hotel and packing our bags. Truthfully we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into at all.

I loved that scene in Sex and the City when Charlotte 'Picoopsy'd' in her pants because she accidentally swallowed some of the Mexican water. But the water was the least of our problems...our rude awakening was that not only did our cell phones cost an arm and a leg to use but when we got to our room we had no wireless internet and 2 double beds. We were shocked for a while as we stood on the freezing cold tile floor of our room...can we do this? No facebook, no phones, no email, no tivo, should we push the beds together?

The good thing about Cozumel is that these worldly things are quickly forgotten. No joke this place was amazing. There is no concept of time, an abundance of food, bikini bars, great new friends, and gorgeous views of the ocean. We pretty much laid around getting tan while trying to learn Spanish with, get this, absolutely no worries about anything. This was a much needed relaxing trip for the both of us.
Some quotes/things that I want to remember from our trip.
Imagine the following with a strong Spanish accent:
"Tequila is for la cabeza, comprende?" the guy that made us really strong margaritas right when we first arrived...
"Honeymooners?" everyone's first question for us :)
"Hola, skinny-mini," a girl downtown trying to compliment me so I would buy jewelry.
"Okie-Dokie & Skake it, Shake it but don't break it," quotes from our favorite bartender at the bikini bar.

Oh 4/15 where are you?

2010-04-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

April may be the cruelest month...(well and January, February, and March...) Busy season is really kicking my butt this time around. I spend endless hours staring at the computer doing endless amounts of work! Help! I love it when I think I am wrapping up and I am told I have to do JUST one more thing before I leave and its already 9 p.m.!! That 1 hour a night I spend on my couch just isn't satisfying me anymore. No joke when I get home sometimes this is my night: late dinner, then plop on the couch because I am so exhausted, then I climb into bed to wake up to do it all over again.

I'm missing out on all those simple pleasures in life...like 2-day weekends, watching LOST, doing the laundry once a week, leaving the office when its light outside, putting my relationships first, homecooked meals, yoga class (okay so I never went to yoga class but if I wanted to I wouldn't have time).

I literally had to sell my soul yesterday to leave at 5:30 to go to a Nationals baseball game. Tanner really wanted me to go with him and it wasn't until about 5 p.m. that my fate was finally decided and we found out Tanner would not be going stag. By the way I am really lucky to have such an understanding husband...It was such an amazing night even though the Nats didn't win. It was perfect weather for a baseball game and I made sure to really enjoy every minute.

The good news is April 15th lies just around the corner and soon there will be many more wonderful nights like these. Sometimes I need to step back and realize that yes my job is tasking on me and my personal life at certain times of the year. But also realize that I am lucky to have a job during these tough times when others do not, I am getting great experiences and I am building an outstanding resume even if it does come with a few tear-stained late nights.

American Idol: Rolling Stones week

2010-03-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

Tanner and I have been really into American Idol this year. We watch every single episode religiously and analyze all of the contestants and of course cast our votes (when we remember since we can't text in until Utah is done watching with our 435 cell phones). Its a fun thing to do together that we really enjoy especially since I have a limited amount of time at home these days because of tax season.

I would have to say that Rolling Stones week had some of the most memorable performances. I wanted to post videos of our two favorite contestants: Lee Dewyze and Didi Benami. They are awesome! Enjoy.

Lee Dewyze - Beast of Burden

Didi Benami - Play with Fire

Did you know....?

2010-03-15T11:18:00.000-07:00

Did everyone except me know that there is a real name for those little fuzzies that collect on your blankets and clothing sometimes? There is also an official name for that crazy jigga-jagga stuff on the side of the highway that vibrates your entire car and body from the inside out to warn you when you are going off the side of the road. My friend Jen lead me to the following websites in order to prove to me there are actual names for these two words.

Pilling - http://missourifamilies.org/quick/materialqa/material13.htm

Rumble Strip - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumble_strip

I guess you learn something new everyday.

It's 2010!

2010-03-11T19:36:00.000-08:00

I know its like March 2010 but never got around to posting anything from New Year's Eve until now...better late than never I guess.

We usually ride the Metro when we know the city is going to be crazy and we might have a tough time finding parking. But this is my public announcement stating that I will no longer be a passenger on the Metro. Maybe I'm getting a bit too extreme, I'll lay out the case.

6:30 p.m. We are pulling out of the driveway, dressed to the nines and stoked for the New Year's Eve events that are about to transpire. Mind you, we have 30 miles to travel in total.

7:00 p.m. We arrive at the Metro station and are at a dead sprint as soon as we get out of the car. (Our new practice at the station, since it seems we usually get to the landing as the train is pulling away.)

7:17 p.m. And we wait...for 17 minutes until the train merrily screeches to a halt and we jump on from the bitter cold landing that is outside. Since there is so many people trying to get into the city I thought that they would run on the rush hour schedule. Absolutely not.

8:30 p.m. 2 hours, 15 stops, and 30 miles later it was finally time for the amazing part of the night! We arrived a little more than fashionably late to Capital Grille. We had dinner and a few Stoli Oli's with Zimmerman and friends and then headed over to George of Georgetown where my friend was the bartender. Believe me this was a good thing. Click below to read more and to see a few photos from the night.1 a.m. The bottom right photo is the look on mine and Paul's face when Tanner said it was time to go home.

I think I should preface the next few lines with I think the metro has a vendetta against us. Since we rode the metro to DC we obviously planned to ride it home. We climbed on that grumbling metro car only to be hit with the sudden pang to pee. We had ridden for quite a while but we only had four stops left. Could we make it? NOOO! So we decided that we would just jump off at the next stop, pee, and hop back on the next train that came by.

Note to self: NEVER ride the metro again!

2 a.m. This quick little jump off, hop on turned into search for a bathroom, seeing people making out near the bathroom (gross) to keep warm since it was like 5 degrees at the stop, use of the most awful bathroom I have ever seen in real life, running up the broken escalator to simply stand in the cold waiting for nearly an hour for the next train to come by. We were chatting through chattering teeth(me with bare legs and a dress) but trying to make light of the whole situation. I would have to say one of the highlights of this little escapade was when small, teary-eyed Vietnamese man who had earlier offered us a cigarette at the stop secretly was cuddling against Tanner once we got on the overflowing train. Oh yeah and when that girl was throwing up all over the floor and her own hands right near the door, the classic I am asleep standing up guy, and the guy that was laughing and talking while holding up his brother who was passed out drunk. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this point. So we just laughed and talked about how this would never happen in Utah.

4:00 a.m. We finally climbed into bed while making our new year's resolution to never ride the metro into the city again. Since it sure doesn't make traveling any sort of a convenience although I have to give it some credit, it does provide for some interesting stories. Happy New Year!

Shutterfly

2010-03-09T17:22:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is scrapbook. When you think scrapbook you probably think craft room with a table covered in colored papers, stacks of photos, and well in my case a mess. I have tried a couple times in my life to pick up scrapbooking but it never really panned out for me. I would spend hundreds of dollars in scrapbook essentials that got used for a few projects and ended up piling up in a box.

And then one day I fell upon shutterfly.com and I had a complete change of heart. Can I just say, I love shutterfly and I am not kidding. I can finally sit down and put a book together with all of our photos and memories without having to be too creative and without spending all that money on wasted supplies. It's addicting I can promise you that. I wanted my mom and sis to see some of pages from my most recent creation so here ya go :)

Tanner talks GDE on the District Dish

2010-03-06T11:22:00.000-08:00

Have a H.A.R.T.

2010-02-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

We spent the day volunteering for HART (Homeless Animals Rescue Team). As soon as we got to the adoption event we were each handed a leash and sent on our way to try to get our pups adopted. Tanner was given a pitbull/lab mix named Minka. She had quite a powerful bark, that Minka, I got it directly into my ear at one point and I feel like my ear is still ringing. My border collie Jenner, which we decided to call Bruce, was a such a lover. He wanted to greet every dog and every person that he could. It was so adorable.Good news is someone applied to adopt Jenner. It was so exciting to meet the potential adopters and spend the afternoon with them while they got to know Jenner better at the back of Petco. Every once in a while Tanner would walk Minka back to where we were and each time I saw her I felt like she was maturing a little bit. She just needed someone to put their foot down with her but also show her some love. By the end of the day she was hardly barking at all. The three hours spent with these pups was freaking exhauting but so rewarding.

Be My Valentine

2010-02-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

Good Morning :)

2010-02-04T09:35:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up early and went to Lifetime, which just so happens to be the best gym on the earth sans the outrageous amount of Mariah Carey throwbacks they share with us. I swear I saw Mariah in a bikini in 2 different music videos and also heard her screeching 2 or 3 other times during the course of my morning.

Anyway, I was having this amazing morning. I was so into my workout that I didn't want to stop. Those squats and box jumps were somehow enjoyable today. But when the clock struck 7:15 a.m. I had to go downstairs to shower. And if you know me you know that I for some reason really hate to shower. I do it because its the socially acceptable thing to do but I despise it - I hate being wet and cold, I hate shaving, I hate blow-drying my thick, ridiculous hair - I just flat out hate it. But today was different.

There I was basking in the rain of the shower thinking "Wow, this really is an amazing shower experience. My day is just so wonderf..." and then there goes my razor. Drop. Smack. The head of the razor goes shooting off into the unknown. Shit I really wanted/needed that razor. So, I grab a towel and leave my wonderful shower - with the water streaming full blast - on a hunt. I walk down the aisle of showers in the direction I imagined the razor head would have landed. It is nowhere in sight. I was just about to crouch to get a good look at the floor but then decide against it since I am in the community shower and crouching near the stalls might be awkward and frowned upon. So I stood there helpless, dripping wet and ready to give up. I trudged back to my shower and then I saw it. My razor was gleaming in the fluorescent lights in a shower stall in the opposite direction of where I was searching. Yes!!! I don't know why this was so important to me, but it was, and now I was back to my good morning.

Bones & Chuckles

2010-01-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Two nights ago Tanner was falling asleep on the couch, I asked him to take the dogs out so we could go to bed. But he was adamant about staying exactly where he was so he could 'watch' whatever was blaring on the TV screen. I was like whatever as he was slowly falling into a deep slumber.

Then he spoke up, "What was your answer for the dogs?"
Me: "What? Uh should we take them out or just go straight to bed?"
Tanner: "No, How many points did you score for your blog?"
Me: "What? Let's go to bed, you are asleep."

Not sure why but at this point I still found myself trying to reason with him to try to determine if the dogs had gone out recently enough that we could just go straight to bed. So I ask, "What's your answer for the dogs?"
Tanner: "Bones & Chuckles."

Dear Utah, you are even better than we remember.

2009-12-27T12:10:00.000-08:00

Going back to Logan this year for Thanksgiving was surreal. It has been almost an entire year since we've made the trek back to our hometown. Even though its been such a long time, the moment we turned the corner out of Sardine where it opens up to the beautiful valley it only felt like we were coming home from a long trip.

In all actuality we were about to begin a 'trip' to Logan that would last exactly 7 days minus travel time. So, I wouldn't call our Thanksgiving vacation relaxing so much as I would consider it a whirlwind of good times with family and friends. Here are a few photos and stories from our memorable trip.

Day One: I miss my sis!
I tried to get in as much sister time as humanly possible. Here she is sporting her very attractive hat-scarf that I also saw on The Christmas Story mom.

And for your viewing pleasure here are more photos of Courte from our adventures.
The memories of many Aggie football games came flooding back to us as we froze our butts off at the Aggie v. Boise State football game. There were a few key note differences this time around...1) We had a sanctuary (the box) to head up to when we couldn't feel our appendages, 2) They were competitive against Boise, and 3) There were more Utah State fans > Boise State fans to cheer on our team.Day Two: Guns & Violence
Guys Night in Utah = Call of Duty Marathon. Tanner and his friends are addicted to this war game. Please remind my why I agreed it was a good idea for Tanner to get the game when we got home.

Day Three: Skins v. Iggy's v. G-ma
...and the winner is G-ma :)
Skins lost to the Cowboys, Iggy's service sucked, Grandma was all-around amazing.Day Four: Our Old Stomping Ground
I forgot how cold Utah is in the winter. It was pretty much unbearable for me. I had to drink lots of hot chocolate to compensate. But look how pretty it is.There is about 3 things to do in Logan - not like that's a bad thing - Going out to eat, Going to the movies, and Going bowling. We managed to fit in 2 out of the 3. I think the amount of food we ended up inhaling made up for the fact that we didn't go bowling. One of the things that we miss about Logan the most is the great selection of restaurants.

We managed to eat a lot of food at some of our old favorites, pretty sure we ate out every meal. Italian Place (I think Tanner went here three times), Le Nonne (with our Pictionary opponents), Angie's, Logan's Heroes, Pita Pit, Firehouse (with some of my favorite girls - who pointed out that whenever I am asked when I am having kids I say 5 years, and that's been going on for at least 3 years). We also went to a new restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, because Anna works there and it was amazing. There are many more delectable dine-in experiences to be had in CV but those are the ones we managed to hit....next time I must go to W.O.W. and La Beau's, oh ya and the bowling alley to get the full experience. We also went to the movie about 3 or 4 times....haha. Life is so simple, yet amazing, in Utah :)
Day Five: Golden Birthday
This celebration was not a surprise so Tanner got to choose the itinerary. He wanted nothing more than to take in an Aggie basketball game and dinner with a few close friends. We ended up in the backroom at Ruby's after the game, which was a drag, that is until we got there. The room ended up being filled with tons of laughter once memories came racing back to these friends.
Day Six: Working OutI was very proud of us for managing to squeeze in some workout routines. It was great to go to Bootcamp to see my old friend slash trainer Natalie. She kicked my a$$, I was sure to quickly blame my loss of breath and lack of endurance on the altitude. Elevation: Ashburn = 298 ft, Logan = 4,534 ft so I feel pretty good about that excuse. I also went to Crossfit with Kira and Wendi and found that to be equally as punishing.

Day 7: Thanksgiving
I am thankful for Thanksgiving because it's focus is entirely based on the 3 F's which also happen to be 3 of my favorite things, Family, Friends & Food! Thanksgiving didn't let us down on any of those this year. It even added an additional F "Freezing." Although the below freezing temperature was quickly forgotten at Lundstrom Park during the First Annual Turkey Bowl followed by a yummy Thanksgiving dinner at my Grandma's. It's true that time flies when you're having fun, because the week was over in a flash. We didn't get to see all the friends and family that we wanted to, but we'll back and believe me it won't be a year from now.

Washington Post Magazine: How Tanner Cooley became a DC sports insider

2009-12-22T21:16:00.000-08:00

Tanner in the news: A writer from the Washington Post followed Tanner around for a few weeks in order to get an insiders perspective of his world. The article is pretty good here is the link to the story and here is the link to the chat with Tanner, which gives some more insight into the story.

Cooley Brothers

2009-12-13T17:46:00.000-08:00

My cute hubby turned reporter for the day.

Our Homeland

2009-12-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun in Utah for Thanksgiving. I haven't had time to sit down and write about it but I hopefully I will soon. Until then you can just look at this photo in anticipation.

Party in the USA

2009-12-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Elite Party Planners: Kirsten & Paul + mucho Facebook correspondence
= one surprised* guy *other adjectives to describe Tanner = amazed, astounded, blown away, bewildered, dazed, dazzled, dumbfounded, electrified, flabbergasted, floored, jarred, jolted, overwhelmed, shocked, stunned, stupefied, taken aback.

We had a surprise b-day party at Kitchen in DC for Tanner. He was seriously surprised since he thought he was going to my work party (lame-o) and it was held 6 days before his actual birthday (what?!). He had no idea, which I was very proud of since it's hard for me to keep a secret. Lots of lying, deception, and sneaking around occurred which was definitely difficult for Miss Honest Abigail. I guess it made it a little easier since we started planning literally 2 days in advance. Here are a few photos from the monumental night:

Hope all your dreams come true!

Fall, Friends & Football

2009-12-01T17:58:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful friends the Galbraiths came to visit us back in October. I am a terrible blogger lately but I wanted to link to Nikki's blog. Click here and here for her blog posts from the trip. Thanks Nikki :)

Scrapbook 2008

2009-11-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to finish and get my scrapbook from last year FINALLY!
Dear Internet: I will start my 2009 yearbook this month, no excuses.

Halloween!!

2009-11-06T16:01:00.000-08:00

This year we thought it would be fun to dress up and carve pumpkins on Halloween Eve. Here is Border Patrol Jen with her two captives Tequila Shooter Tanner and Happy McMexican Blake.Kirsten reffed the pumpkin carving and the dogs even dressed up against their will Jack as a cute pumpkin for maybe the 3rd year in a row, Baxter sported an orange T, Chip was a bee, and Dale a cow.

And finally we have Dorothy and Toto

Chris and Nance didn't dress up but Chris somewhat resembles Zac Morris...maybe that's what he was going for.

In the Kirsten and Tanner Cooley household it is ALWAYS my idea to carve pumpkins and I ALWAYS manage to forget how much work carving pumpkins really is. Unfortunately for everyone else I had already resorted to complaining and swearing as I was scooping out the pumpkin guts. Here is everyone happily beginning to carve.

Here we have everyone diligently finishing they're masterpieces....and I am in full fire drill mode demanding better tools to catch up. Soon after this in my despair Tanner took over and finished my jack-o-lantern before I had a meltdown.

My mood quickly turned around when the pumpkin was complete and it was time for a photo ;)

Here are a couple of our finished products lit up. Tanner's football and my ghost.

Chris's skull, Nance's scary pumpkin, and Blake's awesome bat creation.

And here are a few more photos for your viewing pleasure.

Couples Retreat

2009-11-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Why is it so hot? Because we're in the city where the heat is on.

We went down to Miami to visit two of our favorite people, the Eckers, a few weeks ago. It was so amazing to spend the weekend with someone (Tyler) whose favorite thing to do is....nothing. No joke, that is just what we needed a weekend full of nothing!Who would have thought that the first four hours we spent in Miami would be at the Chili's Take & Go Restaurant in the airport. Sounds awful, huh? But between the margarita's, the people watching (Tanner said, "Look at that kid," and captured my reaction after I saw one of the ugliest children I had EVER seen in real life),

reading magazines, me nearly falling asleep on the bench (then realizing that I am not a bum so that is so not cool), taking photos, talking and laughing it was really pretty fun. I feel like we hardly see each other these days so it was refreshing to spend some mindless hours together.

We made it outside to the hot, wonderful paradise and as we were shielding the blazing sun from our eyes we couldn't have been happier to see Tyler's classic black truck roll up. We met Becca and went to a restaurant on the bay literally five minutes from their apartment. By the way this is the view from their apartment...uh, can you say amazing? Must be horrible to wake up to this everyday :)
The next day was spent at the gym and a long, lazy day at the pool. Tanner demonstrated some amazing pool feats, including his underwater breath-holding technique. Becca and I were having a heart attack when he didn't come up for air for two minutes! And he still had the energy to scare his swimming lessonless, water-phobic wife by pretending to dunk me and get water on my face.

This was followed by a night on the town. We went to Lincoln Road, which was a really great strip of restaurants and bars. Everyone there was so happy and beautiful, to paint a picture of what we were seeing...imagine that guy at your gym who groans and yells when lifting weights while staring at himself in the mirror, that was the typical male on Lincoln Road. Although tonight he had showered and was sporting a muscle t, a faux hawk, and a skinny, pretty girl with implants. This along with tall grandpas led to some pretty fascinating people-watching experiences for all of us.

Oh...I almost forgot the best part of the night. We were sitting at dinner outside and a man on his phone and his tiny daughter passed by our table. Something intrigued the tiny girl to stop and say hi. She was so adorable as she explained to us that she was 3 years old and was wearing her favorite dress and minnie mouse sunglasses. She was so tiny that I was surprised by how smart and comfortable she was to be having a conversation with strangers. And to top it off when her dad said it was time to go we all said, "Bye" and she pressed her hands together, nodded her head, and said, "Namaste." What the?! Officially the cutest 3 year old on the face of the earth.

The rest of the weekend was spent binge-ing at greasy sports bars while feeding our football addiction. We went to an official Michigan (University de Tyler and Becca) bar to watch Michigan bring in a win.

And to an amazing little sports bar on Sunday to watch Chris and the Redskins pique our interests in the first half and then unfortunately endure a loss against the Panthers. There was some unhappy men at our table so I thought it would be good to suggest ice cream to boost the morale. As we were pulling up to DQ, Tanner gave me a puzzled look and asked where we were going. I said, we're getting ice cream! Oh, well I don't want any. He must have been really upset to not want ice cream. Although he won't admit it the cookie dough and lizard hunt really helped him forget why he was so grumpy.

This was the perfect retreat. Sometimes you need a weekend to lay low, eat snacks, play 'would you rather?' and enjoy life.

St. Northwest

2009-10-19T18:25:00.000-07:00

I came home early from work today to get Tanner to the airport for a 7 pm flight. In the midst of packing Tanner decided to take another look at his itinerary. "Kirstennnnn!" I ran downstairs to find my 6 foot 2 hubby in a panic. "My flight left at 3:40!" I shot a glance at the clock that painfully showed 5:20. I guess last night in the stress of the quick booking he read the times wrong. He threw the last few things in his bag and we ran out the door.

On the way to the airport I was dialing Delta and Expedia trying to figure out how we were going to get Tanner from Dulles to his connecting flight in Minneapolis so he could make his flight to Billings tonight. Really the only positive that came out of these two calls was being able to listen to calming elevator music...besides that they were absolutely useless.

When we got to the airport we went to the airline of his original missed flight which just so happened to be on the complete opposite side of the terminal. It is really hard to stay poised when you are so stressed, but Tanner did well, I only saw a few beads of sweat. Even when we thought Miss United was finding him a flight when come to find out she was just wasting our valuable time as she was struggling to get her computer to find his itinerary the entire time. She sent us away disappointed because her airline could not get him to his destination until tomorrow night, which would be too late to make his grandpa's funeral at 10 am.

We walked away disappointed...but we didn't give up. We made our next plan while speed-walking back to the opposite side of the terminal. Good thing I wasn't wearing heels this afternoon ;) "Okay babe I'll go to Delta you go to Northwest," I said I as I ran up to the Delta desk. I explained our situation in great detail to the Delta representative only to hear the response that there were no more connecting flights out of Dulles tonight. I thanked her and walk/ran over to Tanner and his Northwest lady had found a flight....so LUCKY!! Or so I thought...that is until she mentioned that all she had was a $1,000 one-way first class ticket. And by booking this it would cancel the flight we already booked for $711 and he would have to book another flight home.

This seemed risky and expensive to me but I could see Tanner attempting to reach for his wallet. Fortunately, the lady was having problems setting up the flight for him and went to her associate for help. Her associate, we'll call him St. Northwest, began typing away at his computer with a smirk on his face. The next thing we know St. Northwest said, "I just saved you a ton of money. I did this and that and you only have to pay a $50 change fee." Uh yeah he did. We looked at each other in awe, we could not believe our ears! This guy not only saved us money he saved the day.

Now time to focus and what is really important. Tanner got on that flight and was able to spend time with his family during this tough time. I'm sure there will be tears, and I'm sure there will be smiles, and there will be lots of time spent remembering and celebrating their 'Gramps' life.

I only had the chance to spend a few moments with him here and there over the past 7 years but I really enjoyed his company. He was such a sarcastic, funny old guy. Always saying things to make us all laugh. Tanner has told me stories of many good times spent at his Gran & Gramps house over the years. I know he loved him a lot and will truly miss him. I am far from Wyoming right now but I will have Tanner and his family in my thoughts.

Laughter is the best medicine

2009-10-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

Last night Austin and I were, in Tanner's words, losing our minds.

We were all pretty down after the Redskins loss. It's usually a little easier to deal with, but Sunday after we played the Chiefs it was a completely different feeling. It was just so disappointing! We are all behind the team and want them to win :(

But that is not the point of my post. The point of my post is to relive a snippet of our night. The two of us plus Austin peeled ourselves off the couch and went to Nick's Grill for good eats and drinks after the game. Not sure how we got on the subject but Austin came up with an intelligent piece of information I had never considered. Austin was saying how Tanner was in his 24th year of life (even though he won't be 24 until November 24th...omg it's his golden birthday, I love golden birthdays!!). Austin was arguing since he was born in 1985 one would assume that his birthday has already occurred and that he was 24 since it's so close to the end of the year.

That was kind of stretch for me, but I could see what he was getting at....Tanner on the other hand would not buy into this logic. So, I thought if I put it in my words then Tanner would agree. I explained what I thought Austin was saying and that yes Tanner was 23 but in his 24th year of life...and he was like no, absolutely not, I'm 23! He was being so stubborn about it. Austin was not using his inside voice and was like yeah its your 24th year and I was busting out the napkin to draw it out: from 0-1 is your 1st year, from 1-2 is your 2nd year, from 2-3 is your 3rd year....from 23-24 is your 24th year!!

We were both blue in the face trying to talk him into our way of thinking. But he was so adamant about his opinion on the matter. Which made the situation hilarious for some reason. Austin and I were literally DYING of laughter. By the end Tanner joined in, and for a moment we had forgotten how bad the Redskins suck.

Saturday Night Shuffle

2009-09-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

I dedicate this post to my dear friend, Paul: the questionably straight, bobblehead attorney who sports his infamous embroidary shirt -but only when all his hood-shirts are in the laundry.

Nats season is over :( and I definitely didn't go to enough games but this one was phenomenal....

...and not because they won
...and not because the weather was nice ...and not because of the service (we ordered these in the 2nd inning, they were delivered in the 9th) ...it was phenomenal because some old guy began awkwardly serenading us in the bull pen and it was enhanced by the more awkward shuffle that Paul whipped out....it was phenomenal because we found out that charles would be playing his heart out during a sax solo for the entertainment of the private bar we were at. ...it was phenomenal because of the constant banter and harrassment between my mature husband and his 10 years his senior ultra-mature friend.

...it was phenomenal because we hung out with a stereotypical crowd including: duvet cover hood shirt guy, the comedian, the wine connoisseur, the military man who hasn't seen many women lately, the non-union serious girl, the terrorist slash wannabe porn star, the unique saxophone player, the sarcastic class clown, and the quiet girl taking it all in. I'm not sure I saw one play but it was a memorable game

Morale Booster

2009-09-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

This morning when I left the house I had no idea the adventures that were in store for me. Today was not a normal Friday, our entire office planned to participate in a firm-wide volunteer effort to give back to the community.

I don't know why it's always so nerve racking to drive new places around here, maybe because I'm used to the good ol' grid system. I found myself at exit 39 in Maryland which Google maps told me to take, then up ahead there was exit 39A AND exit 39B?! Google maps failed to mention this decision on my route. I swiftly picked up the trusty cell phone to ask Jen which one was right. Too bad my phone said 'S.O.S. Service Only' which was the type of service I was desiring yet the phone would not dial her number, so it literally came down to a Goofy Movie style decision...aaand...I chose to take 39B on the right. I drove for a few miles not quite confident I had made the correct decision. I caught a glimpse of my navigation system that had been searching for satellites the entire morning...until THAT moment. I had chosen the right road. Thanks NAV, I could have used your services ten minutes ago when I was having a panic attack.

But what was I supposed to do now? I was headed to pick up my friend Jen so she could show me where to park so I wouldn't get ticketed or towed...apparently its an art or learned by experience, skills I unfortunately do not have. Two problems, I had no idea which apartment was hers and no cell service. How did we ever survive without cell phones?....I thought back to those times and remembered PAYPHONE! Do they still exist? Let's hope. I drove for a while and then I spotted the grimy calling machine on the wall of 7Eleven. I gathered up all the change I could find in my car and there I was standing outside the SEV with the nasty phone pressed against my ear hoping Jen would decide to pick up the unknown number, oh and did I mention it was raining? By the 6th ring I was beginning to get pretty nervous but then I heard, "Hello?"

I got through that dilemma just to be faced with another...Jen was like "Oh a park!" I looked to where she was pointing and thought, well I have a small car but how the hell am I getting it in there?! There was only one way...the dreaded parallel park. My only experience with parallel parking was 1) when I failed my driver's test and 2) when I retook the test and the instructor from the DMV chose to ignore the fact that my car was pushing over a garbage can. Parallel parking is dangerous with the wrong person behind the wheel. Good thing I had a wise and patient coach. Because I was all, "I can't do this!" and she was all, "You're doing great!" And after about 5 tries and 5 freakouts I got my civic into its temporary home.

Usually the source of some serious stress is the use of the public transportation system, the Metro, but unusually that was not the case today. Because today I was with a pro so I just relaxed and let her take control. She successfully got us on and off like a nervous mother with her child and that ended up being the quietest time of my morning.

2 hours after my departure we finally made it to our destination. Our National office is where one of the many volunteer efforts was taking place. We went upstairs to meet with a group from Fairfax that provides mentoring, guidance and fun to teenage kids in the adoption system. We were each given a packet full of photos of a child and were provided with some really thoughtful information about each of them from a lady that works for the company and spends a great deal of time with the kids. It was sweet to hear how enthusiastic she was and you could really tell how much she loved all of them. I had never heard anyone use so many amazing adjectives and stories to describe a person. I think she is perfect for her job and her job is perfect for her.

We got chance to create about 40 scrapbooks with those photos and stories, 1 for each of the kids that they would receive as a Christmas present. It was such a fulfilling experience to know that we could do something to touch their lives without even getting to meet them. It also made me stop and think of how grateful I am for what I have...my experiences, my family, my friends, my job. At first I thought taking a full day to slow down like this right in the middle of such a busy time at seemed kind of ridiculous considering the amount of work I had on my desk. But after this day I was really glad I spent my time doing something that meant something instead of just doing something.

Kirsten Cooley, CPA

2009-09-24T11:27:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's right! I got my audit exam score today...AND...I passed!!! Finally, all 4 CPA exams are OVER! Time to celebrate!

Relaxation

2009-09-16T13:36:00.001-07:00

I took today off to relax and recoup from my hellish past few weeks. I slept in til 9, took the pups for a nice, long walk, hopped in the shower, and had a delish lunch at Potbelley's with Tanner and Jairus. Since they were headed to Redskins park (which I feel has an unwritten rule that forbids women) I thought I would head to one of my favorite Ashburn nail salons for a chair massage and pedi/mani.

It usually is a great place to relax and read a book. Unfortunately for me, new nail technician, we'll call her Alexis, thought it was a time for conversation. In the midst of her upselling she managed to cut my freaking toe with her little cuticle cutter. I wanted to bust out some tears it hurt so bad. Then the whole rest of the time she was trying to control the bleeding that would not stop which managed to overshadow the whole relaxing experience. All the time smiling trying to pretend it didn't happen.

That should have been my cue to leave...but stupid me moved me and my belongings to the manicure station. At this location she not only managed to give me the crappiest french manicure but to also tell me about some really depressing experiences from her life. I did not know how to respond to this. Uh, I'm sorry your life sucks but I came here to relax, lady. The only positive that came out if this appointment was the interesting compliment I got, "If you were this beautiful in my country you would have many rich boyfriends and husbands."

My All-Time Favorite Redskins Videos

2009-09-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here is about ten minutes of classic slash funny video provided by Dan Steinberg and Tanner. If I am ever having a crappy day these are some of my go-to's.

Bobos - Dan Steinberg interviews some Redskins

Vladimir interviews Kenny Mayne

Redskins blogger Matt Terl keeps Chris Cooley Dry

Undue Stress

2009-09-11T11:32:00.000-07:00

As some of you may already know I have spent the past year and a half studying, sitting for, passing, failing, and re-taking the 4 painstakingly awful CPA exams that are required by my job. They have pretty much taken over every aspect of my life of which I am definitely not proud to admit :( Fortunately all of my hardwork has paid off and I have currently passed 3 out of the 4 nasty beasts.

I wish I could say - as of July 1st at 11 AM when I walked out of the testing center after taking the long and dreadful final section - that the CPA exam has no longer been a part of my daily life. I really, really do wish I could say that, but that my friends, would be a lie.

Whether or not I passed has been a burning question in my mind day in and day out and day in and day out and day in and day out....why?...you say. Well the biggest reason is because I have something a little more than pride riding on that score being 75 or higher and that something is a pretty spectacular bonus provided by EY.

You all know that feeling of expecting some important news online or in the mail...Everyday you have to talk yourself into walking to the mailbox and once you get there all of these thoughts come gushing into your mind and you sort of want to run away when that rush of adrenaline and intense panic comes across you and your heart feels like its going to beat of your chest. You know it...you know it well.

One of the many downfalls of the whole CPA exam experience is that they don't tell you when your score is coming. It can take prettymuch anywhere between 3 & 12 weeks give or take a few days. The VA Board of Accountancy, on a much larger scale, is following the cruel practice of the cable guy/delivery service/plumber when he gives you a timeframe for service anytime between the hours of 7 AM & 7 PM. And just like with the evil service guy you are given no warning of arrival, that score can be online at any time. So the moment I felt I had given the VA BOA a reasonable amount of time to calculate my score I found myself on their website multiple times a day in hopes to give my anxiety ridden being some relief. Since I have become unnaturally obsessed with knowing that score I had to limit myself to checking only on Fridays. Plus having that anxious feeling multiple times a day every single day is just not healthy.

I began to think that maybe something was wrong with the VA BOA website so yesterday I decided to pick up the phone and call them. Oh...no...here it comes....awful, anxious, want-to-crawl-out-of-my-skin feeling and the lady on the other line was so calm and collected when she told me she hadn't received my score. I told her that my friend took the exact same exam on the exact same date (July 1st) and she had already received her score. We are still waiting for another wave of scores, by the way we still haven't received our August scores, she said in a slow well thought out tone. At this point I wanted to climb through the phone and strangle her but before I did that I would say come on lady I've been waiting painfully since July 1st let's get a move on.

Here I am on day 75 starting to think that maybe something happened with my test and beginning to lose that positive attitude that believes that I passed. So, please everyone cross your fingers with me in hopes that tomorrow I will finally receive my score...oh ya, please also hope that I passed.

Proud Wife :)

2009-09-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Story by JC on Stetsport.com
Tanner Cooley: Smartest Man in DC

Plenty of all-star caliber athletes have siblings that are known solely for being the siblings of all-stars. But Tanner Cooley is something different. Something suddenly and disarmingly smart enough that we not only know who he is, but care about him being more than the bridge between the world and Chris Cooley.

It started with his playing the background on blog po sts and youtube throw-off videos. Now he’s hosting radio shows and blogging for Maxim?

And it’s not that he takes the attention that comes his way as a result of his blood relation to a Pro Bowl tight end. It’s that he takes the attention and makes it into his own. He is making his own brand as an irreverent, humorous champion for college freshmen and sophomoric 30-somethings who love to be distracted at work. No matter what happens with Chris Cooley, be it a subpar season, a trade, or a career-ending injury, TC has positioned himself to be as much of a media savvy personality as his brother has.

And that’s how you make big opportunities out of very little effort.

Tanner Cooley, you are the man, sir. I may not endorse the team for which your brother plays, but I respect the hustle that you and your brother put in to create a vision beyond this season or this town.

Wanna take a shower with your clothes on?

2009-09-06T16:14:00.000-07:00

A quote by Eric as he got off White Water Canyon at Kings Dominion. I chose to sit with Eric's bag of prizes and Liz and Allison's purses since I really hate getting wet at themeparks. Apparently I was the smart one...because these guys looked miserable when they walked down the sidewalk toward me.

I loved today...it was such a great release to scream my head off on roller coasters after my 80-hour work week. I loved spending all day with Tanner and now I am listening to him on the radio. I loved people watching (an intense sport at themeparks)...although I did feel pretty out of place since I own a toothbrush. It was the perfect way to spend a beautiful summer day and there's no doubt that I'll be back since we only hit like 1/10th of the park.

Tanner is up there...272 feet in the air getting ready for his 72 mph drop!!!

The Cole's take on DC.

2009-08-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

I am terrible and haven't posted any photos from when the fam came to DC. So for now enjoy what my sister created on her blog...courteneycole.blogspot.com

Our Traina-Filled Summer

2009-08-18T19:06:00.001-07:00

We've had some good times with the Jen & Blake Traina this summer. An old favorite of theirs and a new favorite of ours, Los Tolteco's, has become a weekly occurrence for the four of us. We've spent many margarita and sun-filled afternoons hanging out on the patio. Here we are at the Virginia Wine Festival. There was about 30 Virginia wineries tasting booths in the middle of nowhere in Roundhill, VA. We had a great night as official taste testers and wine connoisseurs. I would have to say one of the highlights of the night was hitting McD's on the way home. Wine & McDonalds the perfect combination...

We spent last weekend in the Shenandoah Valley at Martha & Keith's cabin in Bryce. It was so relaxing and wonderful to spend the weekend with friends without any responsibilities. We stayed up late, slept in, ate a late breakfast on the deck, and drove around the beautiful, historic town making pit-stops at all the cute little wineries.

Yay for new friends and for many more memorable moments to come.

CFWO intermission

2009-08-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

I got home from a long day of work and play on Friday night and started to undress to put on my pj's...and I caught a glance of myself in the mirror...and my arms were ENORMOUS. Apparently over the course of the day under the sleeves of my tiny pink sweater my upper arms had been growing exponentially. I could not stop staring at and examining them and I was suddenly wishing Tanner hadn't stopped off at the store.

When Tyler and Tanner did get home I ran down the stairs to show them. Tyler thought I was allergic to bees and had been stung by them continuously. Nope not the case Tyler, I just have the case of the swolls from my crossfit workouts on Wednesday and Friday. None of us had ever seen anything like it. I felt so nasty and I was in so much pain. The swelling is slowly going down but its two days later and I am still icing and covering up in sweaters which I am having a difficult time stretching over my massive, creepy arms. Pull ups are definitely not my friend after this turn of events.

Summer Time 09 Part Uno

2009-08-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

Tanner: Remember when we went to Mount Vernon?

Kirsten: Ya, I do, why?
Tanner: Just making sure. That was fun.

We've had some seriously fun summer activities sans studying (if you can believe it) and no one else has been able to enjoy them because I haven't been blogging! I haven't been taking very many pictures either so this post may seem pretty lame but I just want to write down some memorable moments.

....last sunday july 26 - Mount Vernon awaited us. We woke up late Sunday morning and the weather was pretty crappy and we were both like, We want to do something today. So we did. We packed ourselves up for the one hour drive to GW's old house. It ended up being a hella hot day spent standing in line for 2 hours but we loved it anyway.

wednesday july 29 - happy hour with 19th and w - This group of guys is one-of-a-kind. Tanner had already been hanging out at Clyde's for a few hours when I showed up after work. The night was spent listening to their crazy stories and planning future vacations to create more crazy stories.

thursday july 30 - wine tasting party at Martha's - Do I really want to tell this story? Yeah! Nancy's friend Martha joined a pyramid scheme selling wines from Napa Valley. Whoever thought this up is genius. Wine up your friends and sell oodles of wine and have them sign up to host their own parties all while having a good time.

friday july 31 - crab feast - The Espejo's had us over for our very first fresh crab feast. This dinner didn't come easy, we had to work for every ounce of crab and mussels that we devoured. So it wasn't surprising to find that we were pretty tempted by the kid's food (pizza and mac and cheese) that was prepared in the kitchen when our dinner was over.

saturday aug 1 - training camp in the heat, Los Tolteco's for margs and dinner (a new...what's it called? You know, you do it every week or every year? tanner: annually? No you do it by holidays and with your family....TRADITION!), then listening to tanner's radio show...the Sports Hub.

An interesting day at the pool

2009-07-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

I went to the pool to relax and read a book. Little did I know that wouldn't be as simple as it sounds. There was far too much going on to focus on Nights in Rodanthe. Warning: People watching can suck you in no matter how hard you try to avoid it.

There was the ugly, large girl with the full VA Tech sweatsuit on (in 90 degee weather, mind you) with one of those loud voices that carries and pierces the eardrum talking about cute boys and parties to her bikini clad high school friends. And the lonely middle-aged woman tanning, listening to music, and reading a book. She seemed quite harmless until her favorite song came on her iPod. Then it was a blur of snaps, claps, and singing. I was ready to pull out the video function on my cell phone. That is until I got distracted by hairy chested dad. I'll be honest it was the most red hair I had ever seen on a person. His legs, his chest, and his back were a forest of vibrant red hair.

Today I learned that preggo girls want to be tan too. Blonde-pregnant-pretty girl stripped down to her favorite tube-top swimsuit and instantly fell asleep in the sun. Grampy and Grammy still want to catch some rays too. Grandpa stayed busy with a crossword and Grandma spent the day people-watching. Which is quite understandable considering our surroundings. So, next time I want to read a book I will definitely have to find a different spot.

NYC

2009-07-19T20:12:00.000-07:00

We went to New York for the 4th of July weekend. Kind of old news but it was really fun and I am sure you all want to hear about it, right? We originally planned on meeting up with Billy and Nikki but our dates didn't work with their dates so when we slipped out of that depression we decided we'd go up there just the two of us. I am so glad we did. It was an easy, quick trip but we were able to do tons of schtuff.

Day One - Busy Bus Tour - Our trip started with a painful wake up at 6 am Friday morning. There wasn't much traffic and we made it there by eleven o'clock. We drove right into some mad traffic but were so excited to be there that it didn't matter. New York is awesome, there is so much going on, so many people, and so many gi-normous buildings. We jumped on a double decker tour bus and got to see the whole city.

Our Lady Liberty Times Square We stood in line for two hours to freeze to death on top of the Empire State Building. Day Two - Gum on the sidewalk, harrassment, & baseball - We had another eventful day that started off with Tanner and I arguing about what these black spots are all over the sidewalk. Come to find out that it really is old gum, am I the only one that didn't know this was gum?Just a great photoCanal Street (we got all of these good buys for less than $100) My first ride on a subway (I also saw a newborn baby taking her first ride from the hospital to home, talk about building up her immune system.) Tanner was very surprised when I told him to grab some papers off the printer and in the stack were a couple of Yankees tickets for the 4th of July.Getting drawn in Times Square
Day Three - Killer Grates - We were very sad to leave the wonderful city of New York. We had breakfast at a cute little diner and walked up and down Lexington Avenue checking out the street vendors. A common theme of our trip was my fear of road grates and the joy that Tanner had of freaking me out by walking on them everywhere we went.

Can't wait to go back, we love New York.

Happy 2 Years!

2009-07-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Holy crap is it July 14th already? I love being married to Tanner, it's been a wonderful two years spent sharing our lives and growing together. I feel really lucky to have such a sweet guy that puts up with my sassy-ness and busy schedule. I love that he can always makes me die laughing in any situation. Tanner, thanks for being you!

I could watch this video every day, it was an amazing day that flew by as fast as the past two years.

baseball, sports radio, buffalo wings, and 80's rock

2009-07-09T10:06:00.000-07:00

Birthday week...Part II

I thought it would be fun to go to the Nats game Friday night after my birthday to continue the celebration. I kind of figured the chances of going would be slim, but when Tanner found out I wanted to go he did everything in his power to get us tickets. We ended up getting freaking amazing seats from our friend Eric from Comcast Sports. Surprisingly (haha) there weren't many peeps at the game and after the 7th inning we moved down to the FRONT ROW. It was such a great experience and Tanner got a chance to bully Zimmerman every time he came up to bat.

Everyone was just so happy to be out at the game on such a great night. There was a group of couples sitting behind us that you could tell were definitely enjoying themselves. We were eavesdropping (not by choice) on their funny conversations and realized that they seemed kind of like us slash nothing like us. The nerd, the preppy, the party animal, the drunk, the voice of reason, the lawyer, the future doctor, and the accountant had a great time. We ended up hanging out at the bar getting to know each other til it closed and then headed over to the Shadow Room. It was pretty interesting from the bouncer thinking my ID was fake to one of our new friends getting thrown out.

The next morning was a late wake up that was followed by preparation for Tanner's first radio show The Sports Hub on WJFK 106.7. He was really nervous and excited all day. All the preparation was well worth it because Tanner and Nick, his sidekick, had a freaking awesome first show. They talked about sports and had many awesome guests Steve Wyche (from NFL network, Jamie Mottram (Yahoo! blog editor) and Chris even called in from Wyoming. After the show we met up at Buffalo Wing University for some out-of-this-world amazing wings, played bags for the first time, and then went to an ACDC cover band concert where we were totally out of place but had boatloads of fun.

Sharp Objects

2009-06-30T16:21:00.001-07:00

"Ahhhh, be careful!" I exclaimed as Tanner handed me a knife, that he didn't use, uncomfortably close to my eye, "I have a test tomorrow."

Tanner: "You're acting like its your birthday or something."

Kirsten: "No, I don't want everything my way," I emphasized, "I just don't want to get my eye stabbed out the night before my test."

Tanner stated point blank: "Kirsten, its important to have eyes everyday."

I love conversations like this.

I am not a runner.

2009-06-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

There is something calming and wonderful about waking up at 6 a.m. for a good run before you start your day. Its relaxing to drag Tanner out of bed, tie up my running shoes, painfully emerge into the bright sun, and to spend the entire beautiful 20 minutes dragging ten feet behind.

Did I mention?....I do get a great view of some booty for 2 miles, and I get to hear the sounds of morning before anyone has gotten out of bed, and its calming to hear our feet pounding on the sidewalk, and have the awesome yet awful feeling as I'm trying to make that last block .....so even though I am not a runner its really not that bad.....and I love to sprawl out on the floor after and get licked to death by Jack.

Bug Bites

2009-06-29T16:51:00.001-07:00

Today I forgot my anti-itch cream in the car but by the time I reached my desk it seemed like such a journey to turn around and ride the elevator the 6 floors down to the parking garage where the Benadryl was waiting. I ignored those tiny, itchy, red marks until I was unconciously and feverishly scratching while I was working.

Suddenly about one o'clock I was in a panic. I could NOT take it anymore. I walked as fast as I could down the hall to the elevator, nervously rode it down to Parking Level 4, and as soon as those doors opened I made a run for my car. I was literally whimpering in pain and agony by the time I got my car door shut. It was crazy how the unbearable itch just hit me like that. Benadryl brought me relief for a little while but as I type I am itchy as I can get out. AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH. Stupid bugs.

24...Remember its only a number.

2009-06-25T06:05:00.000-07:00

I love birthday week! I am used to being bombarded with many great events including mine and Courte's b-days, dress rehearsals, dance performances, going out to eat in far away places, family time, cupcakes, etc. I was bummed when I realized that my birthday was coming up and I wouldn't be able to share it with my family. Needless to say this year was very different than the rest. Although it did have one commonality in that it was still a very busy birthday week....

The big 2-4! What a wonderful day...the funny thing is I still act like a 9 year old on my birthday...not the 24 years that my drivers license portrays. I want to tell everyone what day it is, I expect everything to revolve around me, and oh ya lots and lots of presents are a must.

The morning started off with my love/hate relationship with Tanner's inability to keep a secret. He kept asking me if I wanted an early gift. He was like it's something you can use for work do you want it?...and there I was torn between whether or not I should open it now or wait....but oh what the hell...I told him I wanted it. He instantly pulled an unwrapped bottle of perfume from the kitchen cupboard and presented it proudly. A gift in the morning is like having ice cream for breakfast...and that moment truly marked my entry into adulthood.

My segway was also evidenced by the fact that I had to go to WORK on my BIRTHDAY which happens to be in the SUMMER. It was a pretty painful day, I tell you, that was interrupted by a delicious trip to the Cheesecake Factory with Tanner and Nance and the spirit of Jen (who couldn't make it because she got stuck at work). I loved enjoying a couple hours with two of my favorite people eating indescribable food and opening presents...and I hear their ultimate margarita is amazing.

Work...work...work...DINNER. My life revolves around food every other day of the week so why not on my birthday too? Tanner and I went to my favorite Ashburn sushi restaurant, Akira. It was 2 other restaurant diner's birthdays too. A 16 year old, a 24 year old, and an 82 year old, it was so weird to have so many people in one room with the same birthday. I loved all the birthday vibes : ) We ended the night relaxing, making rootbeer floats, and opening more presents. All in all I think it was a great birthday. I will tell about the rest of the birthday week festivities later, I'm tired of typing. To be continued...

Oh ya, thanks to everyone that sent me birthday wishes. It really makes you feel good inside to get lots of birthday wishes.

Holy Baklava

2009-06-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

Greek fair. Greek gyros. Greek music and dancing. Greek iced coffee. Greek Orthodox priest. Greek Baklava. And voile, an out of the ordinary, interesting Sunday night.

The cute ones are always the crazy ones

2009-06-04T11:41:00.000-07:00

Our dog Jack is known to go off his rocker at least once a day. The little puff-ball at some point during each day, without warning, begins sprinting around the house leaping over the furniture and bouncing off the walls. He literally goes from 0 to 60 in .2 seconds for no apparent reason (maybe to get Baxter's attention, but who really knows?). We find ourselves stopping whatever we are doing to watch this amusing display of speed and agility.

On Sunday afternoon after the pups received their weekly bath Jack began his daily spectacle. And there we were innocently laughing at him, saying how cute our soaking wet pup was, as he jumped up on our unmade bed galloping over the comforter and digging around in our pillows. We were in a euphoric, simple-minded state as we watched him fly off the bed and out of the room and down the stairs...and there we were smiling, it was almost sick how happy we were.

So you can probably understand our disbelief when a few moments later we both caught a glimpse of something shiny, liquid, and yellow all over our white comforter. Jaaaaack!!!!!!! I ran downstairs after him to take him outside to finish relieving himself, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when he only cowered and let out a dribble. I felt so bad, it was absolutely our fault and there he was shivering and feeling terrible. He knows better and he never has accidents it had just been like 6 hours since he'd been outside, and in our condo its hard for him to let us know, and he was shivering and wet and freezing.....way too many variables against him....so we took the blame.

Life lesson: When things get too perfect, be afraid, be very afraid.

Roll out those summer nights

2009-05-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

We have officially made a goal to spend more time enjoying ourselves this summer. Its pretty tough during the week but weekend nights are definitely devoted to fun activities. Last weekend was a perfect example.

Friday: After we got done with "work" we had a late night bbq at Nance's. She made the most delish meal ever. Her new friend Sam the cooking guy has enticed her to whip up some really amazing dishes lately. Who would have thought we would have been licking our fingers and plates after tuna burgers? We were all in such good moods, summer does that to you. I was off the wall with happiness to be off work and because I listened to Tanner on the radio all afternoon.

Saturday: We spent the afternoon and evening with some old slash new friends. Los Toltecos had top-shelf margaritas for $5 so we spent the entire afternoon sitting outside on the restaurant's patio (my favorite thing to do on the earth) sipping on margaritas...well some of us were sipping.

Sunday: Let me set the scene for this one...the sound of a waterfall in the background while we were all sitting around a campfire with good friends making girls camp style banana boats and s'mores...we spent a good portion of the night staring into the fire and that is pretty much all that mattered. We topped the night off with a soak in the hot tub, then against our will we forced ourselves to dry off and head home.

I thought this was the perfect way start to an amazing summer.

We already started planning our next weekend which involves us pitching a tent in the C's backyard...so until next time.

Breathe.

2009-05-29T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'll be honest I basically had a meltdown yesterday after a meeting I had with one of my teams at work. I knew that June was going to be a pretty busy freaking month, which felt awful yet achievable in my own little mind. But the moment someone else actually said it out loud was the moment that made me want to run away screaming.

Somehow I must manage to fit in 55-60 hours of work, 20 hours of studying, precious relationship time, working out to offset the many hours I spend at my desk, summer activities, and not to mention sleep into each of the next few weeks of June...and this isn't even busy season? Yikes!

A Sun-Filled Weekend

2009-05-25T17:30:00.001-07:00

A Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina getaway was just what we needed. It has been a crazy year and I can't remember the last time we went on a vacation just the two of us. I have been studying for the financial section of the CPA exam (I took it May 19th, wish me luck) so my sweet husband made the beach plans. We stayed at the beautiful SunSpree Resort right on the beach.

Our trip consisted of lots of relaxation. We turned off our cell phones and laid out at the pool, walked the beach, played in the ocean, people watching was really entertaining, and we went to a bunch of cool, nautical restaurants during our stay.

Some memorable moments included –

- The ocean taking its toll on me…causing me to lose a couple of items including my sunglasses and my top...I wasn't happy about either of these.
- Spending our time waiting for our poolside waitress to stop flirting with the hunky males and provide us with drinks.
- Oh, one night I asked Tanner do as many accents as he could do while sitting dockside, I could not stop laughing, he cracks me up.
- Sitting on the hotel deck sipping Bud-Light Lime listening to the waves roll in while enjoying the warm night air.

We have definitely found a new Memorial Weekend tradition.

No more heavy lifting

2009-05-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well pretty sure Baxter has reached a milestone...thought I'd share it. I walked in the house the other night and I soon realized that Tanner failed to mention that not only did he buy bones and food at Petco, he also bought our eldest dog Baxter some carpeted stairs?!? I honestly thought the purchase of stairs would have been sometime later in his life but Baxter, age 3, is now empowered. Thanks to Tanner's purchase instead of just crying in hopes that we will remember to help him into bed, he now proudly does it himself.

A Regular Day

2009-05-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

I had a serious craving for Sinny Bears today. I have been missing many things from Utah: locally owned restaurants, natural ice chapstick, chocolate covered cinnamon bears, courte, mom, dad, backyards, and mountains. Well I thought I would stop whining and start living. So, my night was spent stabbing innocent cinnamon bears and dipping them in melted chocolate morsels. I didn't expect them to be very good but I was wrong, they may be better than the Utah originals. Oh ya, and for once I got home before Tanner and I even helped him make dinner. I was in charge of the chicken. I am such a little homemaker hahahaha.

mmm...french toast sticks

2009-04-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

Surprise!

2009-04-27T20:20:00.001-07:00

One thing that I didn't expect I would be doing on April 26th - laying by the pool.

Thank You Mother Nature

2009-04-08T13:17:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be nice to get out of the house away from all distractions (studying, chores, day-to-day crap) and spend the day in DC enjoying the cherry blossoms and spending time with each other. I think that in most cases when you have no plans and just go with the flow its invigorating. Unfortunately that wasn't the case for us. We ended up in some crazy traffic and were ready to rip each others heads off after we had been in the car for a few hours. Slow moving cars bring out the worst in people....let me paint a picture of how slow: there was a grandpa taking a stroll on the side of the road, I think he may have required a walker but left it at home, that was keeping up with our pace for miles...and miles...and miles.

And when we FINALLY got into the city there was not an inch to spare. I guess we weren't the only ones that wanted to get out of the house. We drove around looking for a parking space and ended up getting lost and suddenly we were on the freeway again. I wasn't ready to give up and thankfully we somehow ended up on the backside of The Capitol and I convinced Tanner (who was so ready to drive home) to stop when I spotted a place to park.

We parked and when we stepped out of the car it was an instant transformation for both of us. We completely forgot that we were upset. Its crazy how weather can affect your mood. But I'm glad it does -- because thanks to the beautiful weather, the day could not have been more perfect. We spent the rest of the afternoon just walking around the Capitol, talking, taking photos, people watching...oh and we went to this grill called the Capitol Lounge that had the BEST, greasy food that we've had in along time. What an amazing - and in the end - relaxing day!

A New Side of Brambleton

2009-04-04T19:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight we saw a side of Brambleton that we never knew existed -- live reggae music and old rhythmless rich people dancing. Needless to say, our night was complete.

A Night at the Circus

2009-04-02T19:10:00.000-07:00

I had been trying to win Britney Spears tickets from local radio stations without much luck and actually began having a strong hatred for the people that got through and won. So, when Christy asked me if I wanted to go three days before the concert I nearly crapped a brick. Tuesday the 24th I actually got off work early and we made the trip to DC and had an awesome time with Chris and Christy (who we haven't hung out with forever!)
Britney is freaking hot and such a great performer. Hands down one of the best concerts I've ever been to. It was fun hearing all her new songs and she took Christy and I back with some of her classics too. Britney kept all of us (except Chris) entertained all night!

"W"

2009-03-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

My favorite moment of the day: We planned to take the pups for a walk since it was sunny and 72 degrees. When we finally stepped outside the wind was howling and it looked like it might rain, but Baxter and Jack were so excited we couldn't take them back in. And inevitably about 10 minutes into our walk we started to get pelted by rain and hail. We were like is this seriously happening? There was nothing left to do but run. It was a great sight all four of us dodging precipitation, running, and laughing. I wish I had a camera to capture the moment. It was classic. Especially about halfway home when you could tell how pissed Baxter was because he was losing endurance and the little tubbo was beginning to look more like he was getting dragged along rather than winning the race to cover.

Daylight Savings: literally speaking

2009-03-13T08:37:00.000-07:00

I wish I could round up as much daylight as possible and save it for next winter. It is so depressing to wake up and go to work before the sun comes up and drive home in pitch black. I have been working late nights too giving me absolutely no chance of catching some vitamin D. My poor mexi skin has turned to pale vampire skin. I really love sun and I miss its rays!

The DC area has some wacky weather. A few weeks ago we had the 'Virginia Blizzard' then this past weekend it was beautiful, sunny, and in the 70's. Guess where I got to spend it?!? Bed. I caught some inexplicable, crazy stomach bug (I blame Virginia). Of course my body would wait for the weekend to get sick and during the most perfect one nonetheless! I was hurtin' and I literally could not stand up straight for three days because I was in so much pain.

Whine, whine, whine....Obviously I need a vacation!

Gramma

2009-02-23T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today is my grandma's 82nd birthday...and I know she will never read this so I can be completely honest about everything I love about her. My grandma has always been a big part of my life. I've spent enough time at her house that I would consider it my home. I wish I could hang out with her right now and celebrate. I did the best thing that I could do being 2,000 miles away...a birthday phone call...I could hear the excitement in the background and I longed to be there even more.

Grandma is such a good-hearted, fun-loving little lady. She is so much fun I definitely know where I get my love for gossip, my inability to remember my point in a story, and my natural bossy-ness. Seriously Grandma is so selfless she is always there for us, like second mom.

QVC is Grandma's staple. Growing up she was always buying something new for herself or us from the wonderful home shopping network. She swears by all the products that she buys from there and is always excited to show us her newest treasure. Grandma's love for shopping extends beyond that of what she can order by phone to the many trips that she makes to JCPenney and beyond. She humbly wears the most beautiful jewelry and coordinating outfits. I actually think its the woman beneath that makes everything so beautiful.

I personally feel like bringing a boy home to meet Grandma is just as important as bringing him home to mom and dad. And thankfully it was an instant bond between Tanner and her. I secretly think she may even like him more than me...they are so funny together. Tanner is very interested in everything about Grandma from her grandma skin and its lack of elasticity to her face full of gorgeous wrinkles. Some people get mad at Tanner for bothering her about her aging body but she is not sensitive about it she just laughs and laughs at his intrigue.

With each visit Tanner also tries to learn some new spanish words...he has pointed out to us that Grandma talks to us in english intermixed with spanish, spanglish if you will, and we don't even realize it. Our favorite thing to harrass her about is the fact that she can't say sheets without getting embarrassed. Her cute little accent makes it sound like she needs to wash her mouth out with soap.

I would just like to mention a few more things. Grandma is the greatest cook I know. She makes the best tacos, enchiladas, and tamales on the earth. Really anything she cooks is to die for. And I love her stories...I even got one today when I called her. She told me that today when Grandpa invited her to lunch at the Sizzler, she said she was too tired (not realizing he was asking her out to celebrate her birthday which she said she forgot) she told him to bring her something and she was laughing about what he had shown up with, totinos pizza, you know the kind from the frozen food section...catch my drift on the story-telling?

I could go on and on about my wonderful grandma but its time for bed. Happy birthday Gramma and may you enjoy many more!

Happy V-Day!

2009-02-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

Tanner and I had so much fun hanging out on Valentine's Day. I got off work early enough to hang out a little bit, get to Reston for some long overdue ice skating, and for some of the best sushi we've ever had.

Tanner has been avoiding ice skating like the plague. I have suggested it for many a date-night over the past 6 years and every time I've been denied. He even tried to get out of it on February 14th. Sorry man, can't tell a girl no on Valentine's Day. I'm not sure but us actually making it on the ice may have some correlation with the fact the new sport he loves takes place entirely on the ice...hmmmm? We did have some newfound respect for the Caps players after awkwardly circling around the rink for forty minutes.

It was a night to remember for sure. Thanks for the memories and for always loving me no matter what. I love your guts!

Going Green

2009-02-11T18:12:00.000-08:00

Tanner and I woke up to a nice surprise after a crazy night at the Caps game and hanging out in DC. We opened up the sports section of The Washington Post to see our bright, shining faces watching and celebrating Mike Green's open-netter. I can't believe someone froze this moment in time. We love Mike and Tanner actually got one of his hockey sticks after the game...what a night!

Honesty is the Best Policy

2009-02-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

Let me tell you what happened to me yesterday at lunch.

My friend Jen and I were having our daily chat in the lunchroom. It’s the one time during the day we can get away from the daily grind and just laugh and hang out. Well yesterday we suddenly realized we were shouting at each other. I yelled why are we shouting?

We came to the conclusion that it was because the tv was blaring. I decided I would take it upon myself to turn it down for everyone's sanity. I walked all the way over to the other side of the room where the tv is and was ready to climb on top of a chair to decrease the volume of the news anchors on CNN, then something deep down encouraged me to ask the randoms in the lunchroom if it was okay. I turned to the girl sitting alone at the table near the television and started to ask her, assuming she agreed, if she wanted me to turn it down….before I could finish my sentence the girl told me that she turned it up…she turned it up because of me. Apparently she can never hear the television over our lunchroom conversations. She expressed this to me very matter-of-factly; surprisingly not blatant or rude. I was stunned, and instantly apologetic.

I walked away in shock…I was mouthing, can you believe what just happened? This girl was the epitome of honesty. She dared say what no one dares to say…you annoy me and I am not afraid to tell you. The rest of our lunch was full of quiet whispers intermingled with erupting laughter because we couldn’t hear each other. We shot nervous glances over to our new acquaintance (who we never even knew existed until that moment) to make sure she didn’t hear us.

This one shocking episode in our lives was enough to keep us laughing the rest of our work day. It was especially helpful to keep us motivated at that point in time where your brain doesn’t function anymore and you just want to go home. So, I want to take a moment to thank this honest stranger for putting us in our place and giving us a good laugh.

TC: Mr. Heckles

2009-02-01T10:58:00.001-08:00

If you have watched enough Friends you know who Mr. Heckles is. The neighbor who lives above Monica's apartment who continually comes down to complain about loud noise levels in the apartment. Since our downstairs neighbor has moved in I feel like I'm now Mr. Heckles.

Every weekend from about 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM our annoying bottom neighbor feels it necessary to blast his tunes while he does whatever he does down there. I'm talking BLAST. If I put a glass of water on the ground its like on Jurassic Park when the T-Rex it tromping through the jungle. The man has got some bass!

Like Mr. Heckles, I have gone down stairs and kindly asked if he'd turn his music down. To which he responds, "Its not even that loud." So I have to deal with these jam sessions in a more creative fashion. Most of the time putting in some headphones does the trick but, when they don't, more extreme measures must be taken. Examples include "exercising" or just running up and down all 38 stairs in the house, "plyometrics" throwing the term light on your feet out the window of course, cranking up our own tunes, recreating the million man march every time I go into the kitchen, vacuuming. You know, anything to show the dude, "Hey, turn your F'ing music down."

Well today, today was different. The downstairs rave started a little late and I had just eaten lunch so I couldn't even think about exercise. But there was something missing from the music today, a decent drummer. So I helped him out by playing the floor drums to the beat of his tunes. I guess he got the hint because after only one song, the music stopped.

"Oh well" I thought, "I would rather study than play the silly floor drums anyway.

Happy B-day Dad!!!

2009-01-27T17:57:00.000-08:00

This is my dad.

Isn't he dreamy?

Today is my dad's birthday. He is the best dad a girl could ask for. He deserves a big thank you for all that he does. Today is all about you dad so I hope you have the greatest birthday yet.

Puppy-Love is Doggone

2009-01-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

Our dog Jack is such a sweet little pup. He always has to be leaning against you and he loves to cuddle like a kitten. It is actually pretty enjoyable to pet him because he has the softest fur on the earth. He is pretty self-sufficient in the entertainment portion of his life. Unlike Baxter who needs his life-long addiction to the game of fetch filled, Jack will just entertain himself for hours by chewing bones. Tanner thinks that when Jack's breeders dropped him on his head it knocked something loose that put him in a state of continuous puppyhood. When people meet him they instantly love him because they are blinded by all of these characteristics. But little do they know its all a facade. Baxter knows better. He is tormented by this little ball of fur everyday from the moment Jack leaps off of the bed until he crashes on the couch at night.
Jack finds Bax's favorite things in life and tries to make it impossible for him to enjoy them. I witnessed this first-hand today while sitting in our sunny kitchen studying. Jack had stolen Baxter's favorite toy and was laying on it growling at him everytime he inched closer. This was a huge fight that was not easily, but eventually won by Baxter. Jack wasn't upset by this lost battle he had already started strategizing what he should do next.

Baxter loves to lounge in the morning so Jack will try to antagonize him so he will play with him. He will do this by either running 100 mph circles around our living room clipping Baxter each time he passes or by jumping to the highest point in the living room in order to leap right on Baxter's back with his mouth wide open to catch a corner of Baxter's ear, ankle, whatever. Or maybe he will just climb on Tanner's lap (Baxter's favorite place on earth) for a little scratchin'. Tanner tells me this is his and Jack's daily bonding session, but I don't think Tanner notices that Jack is looking at Baxter out of the corner of his eye to make sure Baxter can see everything that's happening. He's got him right where he wants him.

And tell me that this isn't purely for the sake of jealousy. We will give each of the pups a treat after Baxter has begged us non-stop for them. Simple Jack will lay down with the treat in front of him until Baxter has scarfed every last crumb and until he has noticed that Jack still has his full bone-shaped delicacy waiting for him to devour. After he has gotten his reaction he slowly eats it while Baxter wishes for another one.

It hasn't been easy for Baxter but he is learning to deal with Jack's crazy toy, bone, treat and Tanner hogging. Oh, the life of a dog!

Life Experiences

2009-01-18T18:38:00.000-08:00

Let's just say that I am pretty much abnormal. There are a lot of things that I had never experienced before I met Tanner. I wanted to make a list of a few of the things so Tanner can know the impact he has made on my path to normalcy.

Until I met you...

I never knew that the cloth napkin at restaurants was meant for your lap.

I had never cleaned a toilet.

I had never cooked/baked anything on my own.

I thought I had never been to the ocean. (you helped me realize that since I had been to Alcatraz, I had been to the ocean.)

I had never played a game of checkers.

I didn't know the correct way to use a toothpick.

I had never been forced to try the following foods: sushi, asparagus, spinach, tomato soup.

These are just a few things I came up with off the top of my head. There are many, many more. And I'm ashamed to admit it but I'm sure there are more to come. Thanks Tanner!

Stylists

2009-01-11T12:42:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I love miscommunications. I've noticed they seem to be pretty prevalent among text messages. Sarcasm, not being able to explain yourself, misspelling of words, and finally simple definitions don't always come across as intended. My mom sent me a message asking me if I have had to replace my stylist. Thankfully I haven't. She was the first person I went to out here and I've gone back to her every 8 weeks for a haircut. I simply replied no and why? The next day my mom texted me...because mine died...

Hers died? Wow! I'm pretty sure her HAIRstylist didn't die...so I asked myself what is she talking about? Once again I made an assumption, I decided she must be talking about her Chi Straightener and calling it a "stylist." Silly mom...I laughed pretty hard about this and explained the whole story to Tanner because I thought it was hilarious. After I had explained the entire story in serious detail, he thought I was talking about a "stylus" for my cell phone (you know that little pen that is used for the touch screen.) I laughed at our miscommunication...then texted my mom back this...are you talking about your hairstylist or your chi straightener? Because originally I thought you were talking about the girl who cuts my hair.

She responded, no, the stylist for my phone...haha.

Wow! So, she wasn't talking about my hairstylist, or my straightener, she was talking about that little pen (stylus) for my phone. It's funny how this 20 second simple conversation turned into a 2-day text fest. And this is all because when the words don't come across right or there is a misspelling you don't take the time to ask questions...in the world of texting apparently we have become accustomed to assuming anything and everything. Next time I guess I'll just pick up the phone and simplify my life a little bit.

Go Caps!

2009-01-10T19:33:00.000-08:00

Last night was the most interesting Caps game of all time.

#10 We rode the Metro for the first time for convenience sake. Convenience kind of dissipated when we got stuck in traffic on the way to the Metro station and also when everyone got on the train and wondered where Tanner and I were as they pulled away from the station.
#9 We got front row seats next to the glass from Shuster!
#8 I biffed it on the way to our seats at the very bottom of the stairs. I stood up so fast that the gasping of the crowd quickly turned into an eruption of cheering. I was so embarrassed, people were literally cheering.
#7 Comcast showed us on TV!
#6 We got to hang out with some of the players after they lost...they didn't seem too upset though...maybe because they have over 80 games a year.
#5 We met Jacques Cousteau's son at Clyde's after the game. We found out that he was with Crocodile Dundee when he was attacked by sting-rays which led to his death.
#4 We walked from Clyde's to the Metro station and Amanda led us all over the station trying to get us to the right place with many failed attempts. All the while a weird stalker guy was following us. Soooo creepy. We ditched him and Preston got on and off at every stop to make sure he wasn't in any of the cars.
#3 Preston did pull-ups on the bar in the metro car.
#2 Tanner nearly peed his pants. I feel like now he knows how i feel on occasion
#1 When we got back to the station we walked up to our cars to go home and Chris's headlights were on....as we got closer we realized that his car was RUNNING! He left it in the parking lot running for 7 hours and no one stole it. Classic.

Happy 2009!

2009-01-03T17:59:00.000-08:00

This past year has been a blur. I can't believe 2008 has come and gone. A lot has happened in our little lives: got my masters, CPA and MCAT punishments, moved twice (into Chris's and out of Chris's), left our home town, new experiences, new jobs, lots of blogging, and a new place to call home.

We rang in the new year at the Skye Lounge in D.C. Loud music, laughter, and excitement filled the air. It was a memorable experience in more ways than one. Cooley resolutions: Count to 10. Make Virginia home. Be more organized. Live life to the fullest.

HATU

2008-12-29T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is the first time that we have vacationed to our home town. It is so weird how you can leave a place and it stays the same in your mind. But come to find out that it changes and grows while you're gone. Kind of slowly in Logan but that's what we like about it. Everything is so relaxed and slow-paced, people just don't seem to be in a hurry to get places. I never thought we'd say it but we really miss Cache Valley. We've tried to soak in every minute since we got here. We've spent a lot of time with my family and at my grandma's casa doing holiday stuff. We also got a chance to meet up with old friends and shared memories and new experiences as well.

The only thing that we both agree that we don't miss is the snow. It's pretty to look at and actually quite astonishing. But trucking around in it when you're trying to do everyday stuff is just not our idea of fun.

Ho ho hopefully the holidays are this great every year.

2008-12-28T08:46:00.001-08:00

Brake Lights.

2008-12-17T23:25:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, I did not fall off the face of the earth...I'm still here. There are lots of things keeping me busy. One that seems to take up a huge chunk of time is my commute to and from the office. Let's just say, that I didn't have a clue what rush hour traffic was until I moved here. I used to think that getting from 10th West to USU was the longest ten minutes of my life.

Okay picture this. I leave a good forty minutes before I should be sitting in my fluorescently lit cubicle. The first 15 minutes goes really quite smooth but the next thing I know I am at a dead halt for what seems no reason whatsoever. For the next 7 or 8 miles of travel movement is only at about 5 mph in my stick-shift civic. Let's just say there are only so many things to keep me entertained for that amazing 45-90 minutes of my life morning and night...phone calls, texting, schedule, xmas lists, flossing, calling radio stations, books on tape. Too bad I can't blog in the car...I would definitely complain about the peeps that cause the wrecks and especially about the gawkers.

Say cheeeese!

2008-12-05T18:18:00.001-08:00

Tanner's 23rd bday was a night to remember. When I finally got off work we went over to Nance's for some good ol' fashioned present opening. He got some great gifts like a keurig, mario kart, and some 80's style luggage. After presents and birthday phonecalls we went to a restaurant called The Melting Pot. It was freaking heaven on earth, if you like melted cheese and chocolate (not together of course). We had our own little pots of warm cheese to dip bread in for our appetizer, we cooked our own steak, shrimp, and chicken for the main course, and the most spectacular part was the dessert which consisted of strawberries, rice crispy treats, fruit, and marshmallows to dip into warm pots of white chocolate and milk chocolate with reese's. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. I love birthdays! The perfect excuse to spend a night out talking, laughing, and enjoying high-calorie food together.

TC: Events at The Verizon Center

2008-12-01T17:35:00.000-08:00

It always seems like I am the one to write about events that Kirsten and I go to and the only ones we go to happen to be at the Verizon Center. We met a new friend (Shuster) that works at Comcast and his job is to "Manage relationships with people." Since he sort of has a relationship with my brother, we have got to know him pretty well. So far he has facilitated us going to two Capitols (hockey) games, a Coldplay Concert, a Wizards (basketball) game, and the Extreme gymnastic that Kirsten wrote about.

I am a huge fan of concerts and when we saw that Coldplay was coming to town we had to get tickets (thank God for creating Shuster's job). So on Halloween we went (as Zach Morris and Kelly Kapowski) to one of the best concerts I have ever been to. Coldplay is like one of those bands that is good on the radio and f***ing amazing live. At one point in the show all four of them ran up into the crowd and played 3 acoustic songs! It made me want to take off all my clothes and run around but instead I just recorded them on my camera which I can't share it with you because it's on my laptop that crashed...again :-( You'll just have to take my word for it when I say, BEST SONG ever played live.

The hockey games could easily become one of my favorite events. I am definitely starting to like it. I wrote on my other blog a few weeks ago about the first game.

A few weeks ago before the Redskins game I met Nicklas Backstrom, Alex Ovechkin, and Mike Green down on the field. I will not lie and say I am a huge hockey fan cause I'm not. I have never been to or even watched a game. So for me, meeting these three was like meeting some regular guys excited for a football game. But after attending the Caps game last night, regular would be the understatement of a lifetime. I am not kidding when I tell you that what these guys do on the ice is nothing short of amazing. I mean I can remember when I was in middle school playing field hockey. It was hard for me to score a goal then...on an inexperienced 13 year old goalie. And last night, the Caps scored three goals. The most exciting came with 5 seconds left. It was an open netter that traveled the entire length of the ice.

The second hockey game was just as good. We got to sit behind the bench and behind some crazy Canadians that wore Davey Crockett coon skin caps...and there were 6 of them! I don't have a picture of them though I so badly wish I did, but if you click on the link you get the idea.

So I hope that helps catch you all up on the fun times we try and have out here. I can't wait for more visitors to come. We had a blast with Billy and Nikki, and can't wait for our next guests, the Doyles. Hopefully while they're here we can catch a Tina Turner concert.

Brrrr...

2008-11-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we had our FIRST house guests. Billy and Nikki came out to visit for a little weekend getaway. We loved having them out, they are such great people. Its hard to find a couple that you both get along with, you know? Tanner and Billy had lots of old stories to share and they made some new ones too (the both nearly peed their pants on GW on the way to the Wizards game.) And come to find out Nikki and I are basically twins. We're both super honest and outspoken. We all had a lot of fun. The weekend was full of football, shopping, basketball, freezing cold weather, and lots of greasy food. Here are a few photos, I'll post some more later :)

he-rows or here-oes?

2008-11-14T19:48:00.000-08:00

It's funny how people in certain areas all sound like each other.

For instance, Northern Virginia has a very distinct accent that is very different than even the rest of Virginia. I pointed it out to one of my co-workers and he was like I don't have an accent and was all self-concious. But they say their O's like "e-oo" instead of "oh" and they don't say their L's. So, instead of saying "hold on"...they say something more like "hoe-d on." I wondered if they have an accent and don't notice it then maybe I do too? Ever since that day Jen and I have been picking out words that I say funny. Here are a few examples, I listed my way first and Jen (she's from Jersey) second.

Heroes: Do you say he-rows or here-oes?

Grocery: Do you say grosh-ery or gross-ery?

Coupon: Do you say cue-pon or coo-pon?

Those of you from Utah (or elsewhere) will have to tell me how you pronounce those words or if you can think of any other words that might be good ones for Jen and I to test.

I mean, I guess it could be worse…right?

2008-11-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

You know it’s pretty bad when you start thinking of the all the positive things and they sound like this…”Well at least I didn’t break my nose…or my glasses,” “At least you didn’t bite through your lip,” “At least I didn’t chip my tooth,” “and thank goodness I am an accountant not a model.”

I am such a moron! Last night I stood up a little too fast in my closet when I heard the phone ringing and stepped smack into the doorframe. I didn’t even see it coming. The next thing I know I am sprawled out on the floor screaming as blood flowed from my nose all over our white carpet. Tanner came to the rescue and after he saw I was truly all right he managed to let out a little laugh. It was quite the night of freezing my face off while I tried to ice down the frightening swelling…I have the worst luck!

All I have left to show from last night is a ‘honkin’ fat lip and swollen nose and I guess I bruised my ego to top it off. I look like such a freak but the best part about it is that it doesn’t hurt too much to smile…so I can at least try to laugh about it.

Man's Best Friend

2008-11-09T10:39:00.000-08:00

So, Tanner's been laid up for a week. He strained/pulled (not sure) a muscle in his back and is in such fierce pain that he can't even move. Listen how cute...Tanner dropped some chapstick on the ground and was like, "Ah, man!" But didn't try to picking it up, it just wasn't worth it. A bit later he was upstairs and Jack came up with something in his mouth and dropped it on the floor by his feet. It was the chapstick...he brought it upstairs for Tanner. He honestly brought it to him!?! No chew marks or anything. When Tanner told me I died! It's crazy how animals can actually sense how you are feeling and even try to take care of you.

What you've been waiting for...

2008-11-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

It's a work in progress but everyone has been asking for updated photos of our house. So, here are some before and afters. Enjoy and tell me what you think.

Superstar Gymnastics

2008-11-01T19:07:00.000-07:00

I don't know how you all feel about Olympic Gymnastics...but when I found out the Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin were going to be at the Verizon Center in D.C. I knew I had to go. We got four tickets to the show and I was excited to say the least.It was crazy to see all the US Olympic Gymnasts in real life but I will be honest the second half of the show I thought I was at a Disney Concert with the music and dancing that went on. It was interesting...and I was a little embarrassed that I had made such a huge deal about it all week. But it really was fun to see them and to get out and do something different.

"Sinny" Bears

2008-10-31T06:43:00.001-07:00

Until this year I never had a chocolate covered cinnamon bear. My sister and Ty introduced them to me one cold night in March. I was pretty leery of the concoction…I am not a big on any of the ingredients. But I ventured out of my comfort zone and popped one in. And that’s when those interesting little candies got their name, “sinny bears.” I am pretty sure that I ate the entire bag leaving none for anyone else in the vehicle, they were amazing.

Well the point of this post is to complain a little. It turns out that no one in the state of Virginia has even heard of a chocolate covered cinnamon bear and they give me the stink eye whenever I express my love for them. Thankfully I have the best sister on earth to send me a box of them to fill my desire and to share them with the deprived people of the east coast.

I am introducing to the people in my office and I think they will be a hit and eventually spread across the state. At least I hope they do so I can buy them at the store instead of waiting for the postman to deliver them.

On a roll

2008-10-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

After work and the gym I was driving home at 7 and I get a call from Tanner. He must of been on a high from his busy day because he was full of energy. He was like, "what do you want for dinner? Do you want to carve pumpkins? Do you want to go out for a drink? I'm in the mood to do house stuff, let's hang stuff up when you get here." And he wasn't asking me which one I wanted to do either, he wanted to do all of them. I love nights like this...just spending time together. Here are a few photos from our pumpkin carving experience.

The last supper

2008-10-28T19:25:00.000-07:00

Brooke and Gareth are off for more adventures. It has been so great having them here, we are really sad to see them leave. Although, their departure gave us a good excuse to go out for sushi with them last night...it was amazing! We ordered so many rolls that they had to bring it out on a ship.

Good luck you guys! Hope to see you soon.

Batteries have a crappy life.

2008-10-26T06:41:00.000-07:00

They work their whole lives and then they die.

Last night we went to Brentsville to go on a ghost hunt in an old haunted jail. I did not want to go at all but Tanner forced me to. We made the forty-five minute drive with Gareth and Brooke and as we got closer to Brentsville it got more and more scary. I'm not sure if it was because there were no lights in the town or if we were telling our own ghost stories in the car. Tanner was the only one of us who claimed to not believe in spirits. But I was scared s#*%less and we hadn't even arrived.

When we finally got there the spookiness only increased. There were some professional ghost hunters (John #1 & John #2) telling stories of how they got into ghost hunting and sharing experiences of investigations they been involved with. A story that stood out to me was when they first started investigating the courthouse and John #2 set down a camera, a spool of fishing string, and flashlight and walked downstairs. He went back to pick it up and couldn't find the spool...he searched all over for it and then gave up thinking he must have misplaced it. Later that night when they were getting ready to leave the lights were off and something hit John #2 in the chest and they heard plastic hit the ground. They turned the light on and saw the spool lying on the ground. We were in the courthouse...instant chills.

My creepy experience involved batteries. Before I left the house I put brand new batteries in my camera. I took a few photos in the haunted courthouse and started to video the ghost hunter when suddenly my camera stopped recording and the screen said batteries exhausted. Right after the videographer that was there said his batteries were dead and he had been charging them for two straight days. The ghost hunter, John #1 overheard us and says this is a pretty common occurrence. Freaky!

After being primed for the haunted jail it was time to go in. We all started to enter the building and I was trying with all my might to stay outside in the cold, non-haunted yard. But nope, that wasn't allowed the next thing I knew I was standing in pitch black nearly peeing my pants. Apparently this jail had two spirits...one named James Clark who was a prisoner in the jail and a slave girl named Agnus. They told us a few things about the spirits, James is an angry spirit that hates women and when you walk into the room where he resides you get a sense of heaviness and can instantly get a headache or become nauseous. Once when the ghost hunters were trying to interact with the spirits they told Agnus that she could leave, and James said "Get out. Get out of here!" and John #1 the ghost hunter had to shine his uvb flashlight on him to calm him down. And Tanner expects I'm going to walk in the room where this happened, hell no! Tanner and about five other people who are making a movie called "Ghosts Don't Exist," went upstairs to try to interact with the ghosts. Nothing happened but they are going to review the tapes to see if they can detect any voices with their high frequency machines.

Tanner was a skeptic, not me I believed everything they were saying. They wouldn't go through so much trouble to make it all up. What a way to spend a Saturday night. It was interesting to do it once but I'm pretty sure I would ever do it again.

Rare as Hen's Teeth

2008-10-23T22:53:00.000-07:00

Well it's time to say goodbye...it's exciting yet sad at the same time. Today is our last day at our EY training and it's crazy but we've formed some amazing friendships in the span of a week.

We bonded over a lot of things such as working through an entire corporate tax return together. We were all soooo drained...we decided to reward ourselves by getting out of the Q-Center and going out to dinner at an awesome little restaurant named Urban Grille. We had lots of great lunch conversations and fun times at the etiquette dinner, outlet mall, and margaritaville. But the one thing that we just can't seem to get over started on day one. Someone (we'll call her Betty) hated us for no reason whatsoever. She warned people about us. She didn't like our answers even if they were better than others, or she would give credit to someone else for it. She always had a smile, but she had fire behind her eyes. She gave us blank stares in the halls and she was out to get us. We had a hard time thinking of an uncommon commonality but we definitely found one.

The good part was our grandma was there to save us with encouragement and life lessons like a "bird in the hand is worth two in the bush," and sayings like "rare as hen's teeth," "don't judge a book by it's cover," and "we's done here." She could always make us laugh and she was such a sweet and sincere lady. The best part about her sayings was trying to explain them to each other. Dimitri asked "what's a hens?" and I was like "What?!? You don't know what a hen is!" I went on to explain it and we ended up laughing so hard because of the confusion. He knows what a hen is...he just didn't understand what we were saying. It was great.

We have had lots of unforgettable moments during the week and having each other around made the unbearable hours staring at each other in the classroom bearable.

Chicago...well not quite.

2008-10-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

EY does not fall short on training...we do A LOT of it. I have not stopped learning since October 1st. We have the opportunity (and/or obligation) to go to a Tax 101 training in St. Charles, Illinois this week. We were all very excited to come out to training but we didn't really know what to expect. Here's what was in store for us...

Dorm rooms with twin size beds and barely enough room to roll in your suitcase, lots of high calorie delicious food, rough tp, training from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Skype.com to check out the homestead, ping-pong practice, meeting people from all over the U.S., awkward silences, jogging outside in 50 degree weather, and the most unforgettable part is getting lost in the maze of the Q-Center.

It's been a great experience so far but I honestly cannot wait to go home, three days to go! Tanner has been painting our house since I left and I cannot wait to get home to see it (and him and the pups).

slowly coming together

2008-10-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

We've been in our new place for two weeks now...and the progress is really slow. Especially now that I've started working. I am a terrible blogger these days but I wanted to post a few fun photos from when we moved in and I will add some progress pics soon (we are painting this weekend and finally hanging things on the wall) It still doesn't feel like home, but I think it will soon.

This is how long we have been away from Utah. It's crazy how time flies.
I couldn't find the silverware for about four days...here I am using a mini-wooden surfboard as a pseudo-spoon for my oatmeal. Eating dinner on the floor next to our broken down dining table. Tanner throwing boxes over the balcony.
Unpacking was almost worse than packing.....
Tanner was really proud of all of his hardwork putting up this ceiling fan. Much to his demise the light didn't work...but the fan did. One out of two ain't bad.We are such posers. Our first wall-hanging...how special.
cute pups.

S-A-H-W gone Career Woman

2008-10-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

So the very first thing the speaker said on our first day of work..."this is the first day of the rest of your life." A little dark after my six months of doing whatever the heck I wanted since tax season ended. It's definitely been a transition from full-time student to stay-at-home-wife to 60 hour a week work-aholic. Lots of changes. But change is good, it keeps it interesting. I think working at EY is going to be a great experience. Wish me luck!

Survival Skills

2008-09-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

We made it!
7 weeks in Chris’s basement living out of boxes, 50 condo walk-thru’s, 2 offers, 1 month waiting to move in, 100's of hours of studying between the two of us, and 1 trip to Pittsburgh to suffer the MCAT…we are finally here! Now we have 2 ecstatic people starting their new journey with a blank canvas. Signed the papers at 2 o'clock and started moving instantly after! Can you tell we are a little eager?

Verizon Fios can’t come for another week or two so we will see how we survive with zero internet. We’ll try to keep you all updated on our progress.

TC: Sports in DC

2008-09-24T07:51:00.000-07:00

Living in Utah there are about three sports teams to cheer for, the Jazz, 1 of 3 Universities, and the minor league Bees. Is this a bad thing? No, but one month in NO VA has proved to be a true sports fan's paradise. DC has a team in every professional arena, EVERY ONE. With Baltimore and Philly just up the road I don’t know if you can ever get enough but I will definitely try.

In one month Kirsten and I have been able to attend 4 Redskins games and one Nationals game. That is 3 more professional games attended than all of last year. After realizing the opportunity we have, I came up with this little wish list; to go to at least one professional game in every sport sans women’s b-ball which I’ll trade for college football. Maybe sans MLS too, I hear George Mason and Georgetown basketball games are amazing.

So up until now we have been documenting these events with our photographic skills so that we can share the fun with you guys. Here are some of the things we have seen so far.

So until next time please share with us (comments) what your favorite sporting events to go to are.

A place to call home.

2008-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am unbelievably excited, only one week to go! I have been constantly thinking about how we are going to decorate our new house...we just need to actually be in the house so we can get to work. It is so much fun to actually go out and buy furniture instead of just decorating with hand-me-downs. Here is our first purchase for our spare bedroom. The colors don't come through very well but we are decorating in yellows and greens for this room.

I got awesome deals on both of these...
Bed Frame - $99 (Pottery Barn Outlet)
All Bedding - $58 (Target)

Eckers!

2008-09-18T11:39:00.003-07:00

We were so surprised to learn that Tyler & Becca were still living out here. We thought they had moved back to Caliornia. Lucky for us they live basically right down the street from our new house. Tanner and I hung out with them last week and had a blast going out to do nothing but relax and watch football and have dinner. They are so cute and fun! Hopefully there will be more stories to come.

i heart tanner

2008-09-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

I had an urge to watch this video for some reason a few minutes ago. This was one of the very best days of my life and I wanted to share it with everyone again :)

Thanks to Eric Richards for documenting the beautiful day.

Spaghetti.

2008-09-15T18:12:00.001-07:00

Last night we reverted back to our college years. It took me back to the good ol' days of Brentwood on the USU campus when my bedroom was right next to the living room. Lots of late nights of constant music and ruckus from my wonderful roommates and their friends. I loved my roommates but I am an early bird by nature. Always in bed by midnight and up by 6 or 7. Let's just say that the early bird in me was not very happy last night.

The "people from Vermont" came over after the game right when we found out and took care of a Chris debaccle. Then we got ready to watch Entourage (a Cooley fave) but unusually no one followed us in to the living room so Tanner and I watched it by ourselves. After that amazing half hour we snuck downstairs not really in the mood to hang out with strangers (we didn't even know their names, and I am not sure Chris did either) to unwind before bed.

It was pretty loud upstairs Chris and the 4 Vermont-ians started playing King's Cup or something of the sort and Vermont-ian girl #1 must have been doing extremely well because she was continually yelling "Wooooooooooooh." It was constant excitement up there but bearable. When the clock struck midnight the chaos really began. Suddenly the voices got louder then some loud music started playing...it turns out they had decided it would be fun to come down to play pool...which just so happens to be on the opposite side of the wall where our temporary room is. We are visitors in the house of course so its not like we were going to rant and rave for them to quiet down. But come on! Anyone of you that lived with roommates probably knows exactly how we felt.

We were trying to come up with ways to distract them so they would go upstairs: we thought we could go outside to the patio and bang on the window or go doorbell ditch them a few times. We were wide awake cleverly coming up with ideas. This lasted until about one a.m. when they finally decided to take their party upstairs. We were pretty fired up from all of this and we couldn't sleep so we tried to glaze over and watch tv until one thirty then finally calmed down and got in bed again. We counted the very last sheep when we were awaken by the break of the pool balls. The first hour of pool must have been really fun because they were back for more at 2 a.m. That was the last straw...Tanner opened the door and was like "Come on we are trying to sleep right here." I am pretty sure this was all a ploy to get us to come and play with them. Sorry guys definitely not the way to pump us up for pool.

Downpour

2008-09-13T05:22:00.000-07:00

We woke up Friday morning to a wet Pittsburgh...the perfect weather for being cooped up taking a test. I hardly slept a wink the night before (I usually sleep like a log) because I was nervous Tanner wasn't going to sleep well in the hotel. The next morning he told me he slept like a baby. It is funny how different the two of us are. I would have slept terribly and been pacing the room all morning but Tanner was as calm as can be just watching some morning television and getting in some last minute cramming. Here is our self portrait right before Tanner began his slow and painful brain-drain.Tanner's position on the MCAT: So for those of you who haven't taken a standardized exam, they suck about as much as two flat tires in a rain storm. You know, you only have one spare and you are stuck on the road....whatever, on to the test. The MCAT is long, it drains the brain, makes you laugh, makes you cry, then rides you rough and puts you to bed with no kiss goodnight. Here is the overview of the test so you know what I mean.

Physical Sciences = 2 years of hell

Verbal Reasoning = Verbal Reasoning

Writing Sample = A unified essay on the following "Society is best run when freedom is the foundation."

Biological Sciences = 2 years of hell

The worst part is, the test you just took on a computer takes a month to give you your score. Neat-o huh?

When we got into Pittsburgh on Thursday night it was pretty dark and gloomy and gave me a weird feeling instantly. But it was an eerily and astonishingly beautiful city. I tried to capture the magnificence of the old town on camera...but my photos came out like crap. So, Tanner took a few on our way home and I hope they kind of give a sense of what it was like. (Pittsburgh Trivia: Downtown is built on a triangular tract of land where the Allegheny River and Monongahela River meet to form the Ohio River. Pittsburgh is known as "The City of Bridges.")

I drove us home and I have never been so scared the rain was coming down faster than our windshield wipers could handle...You would think that since we were driving on a TOLL ROAD the upkeep would be a little better but there was constant potholes filled with water and we were hydroplaning to no end. Our toll money must be embezzled by the state government.

But we made it safe and sound keeping ourself entertained on the road by trying to name all of the states and capitals in the US. Good crap, we thought we were smarter. We did a terrible job and ended up looking up half of them online. Seriously anyone reading this should try it...you might surprise yourself with how much harder it is now compared to when you were in 5th grade.

B.Y.O.P.

2008-09-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay so Pittsburgh really isn't the pits. Tanner and I are actually kind of glad we had to make the trip. It's funny that after six years (and spending the past month 24/7 with each other) we can still learn new things about each other. For instance, Tanner has never heard of MadLibs until last night. I thought he was lying to me...but oh he wasn't I had to search one out on the internet to explain what it was.

My job on the road-trip was the official flashcard assistant. Come to find out that Tanner uses some pretty crude and racy mnemonics to remember chemistry/biology/physics terms. At moments I was laughing so hard I couldn't think or breathe, it was unbelievable.

All in all the trip over the border into PA has been great. We've had only one Goofy Movie moment...Tanner owes me $1 million bucks for guessing Alabama during radio trivia...and normality is a crazy word.

p.s. Tanner takes the MCAT at noon, so everyone be thinking of him!