Moving in sundry

Sometimes moving in can seem as painful as this:

(by the way, Nate made me feel better about this picture by saying "the fire is giving him life")

Other times, moving in can be as exciting as spotting this:

I hope my phone did this justice...he was walking out of the museum completely covered in straw. I all but ran after him.

Fortunately, it's been a little of both (fire giraffe and straw man)

Ruth said the cats would just think they'd be on a vacation. She's right, except they've found a few new places they love.

I'm happy to announce the box tower can no longer be a favorite as it has been cleaned up.

Once the box tower disappeared, Mal decided there was yet another tower she could reach:

We are almost all the way "moved in". I don't count it as complete until we have pictures on the wall and I don't have to ask "where did we put ____________?" anymore. Both still are problems, so I'll end this here and get back to work!

Valentime's, Chicago and a nerd's dream

Last weekend, Nathan and I decided to venture to Chicago to celebrate Valentine's day. After a slight delay due to Nate's moot court schedule, we were off! I was anxious about the drive and the trip itself, but it was very relaxing and I'm glad we had the opportunity to go.

Our first stop was the Art Institute of Chicago. Maybe it was all the neatly hung pictures or the perfectly arranged room fixtures, but it was a beautiful, blessed departure from what our apartment looks like right now.

Nate outside the Chicago Stock Exchange trading room. I was happy to experience a nerd moment with Nate...I had been slobbering over the modern art all morning, so it was nice for him to have a turn.

Me and the bean. This was taken after lunch, on our way back to the museum. We found a Noodles location that was almost as exciting as the museum, so we were in good spirits and I was up for posing on a freezing bench.

Nerd destination #2: Medieval Times!

All that culture gave us a healthy appetite, so we were anxious for both the greasy finger food and the floor show.

See?

Because the museum is free this February, we took a second trip the next day. Luckily, we found this gem. It's garish and scary. Goya thought this one up; I was surprised, but maybe I shouldn't have been?

Liz and Mary Cassatt. This has been a favorite of mine for a long while, so it was a party for me to see it in person. I opted for the shadowy eyes look over the rosy cheekedness that the ladies in the painting sported.

Representative. Nate loved the museum, but lacks the museum geek stamina I've developed over the years. He chose to stay on the top level while I checked out the sculpture garden below.

Told you he was tired.

On the roof of the museum. The rock chairs really complimented the freezing temperatures.

Back inside, Nate showed off his talent for mimicry.

And I showed off how small my head is compared to Mars...hopefully it's obvious; my Utah driver's license may say otherwise.

Life imitates art? In the same gallery, look to the right....

I love good timing. :)

We loved Chicago!

Displaced, but happy

We just moved again. I love that we are back at our old apartment, but I hate that said old apartment is full of things we need to put away. We worked out a pathway last night, so huzzah for progress.

It's good to be back, but we shouldn't have left in the first place. Last September I sat on the porch, crying because I didn't want to leave our apartment. Last Sunday after we finished with the house we'd been in, I drove away without any hesitation or sadness. It wasn't ever fully our place, so there wasn't much to say goodbye to. I will always hate moving; it's mentally and physically exhausting (by the way, thank you to Marc for all the help!). It's also difficult to move when it's not convenient, or really your idea; that being said, I'm thrilled to be back to our apartment. A few reasons:

-Brand new carpet and linoleum. The carpet in the kitchen was beyond gross and while a runner covered up most of it, it was not fun to clean...and probably never stayed very clean.

-Birds!! Mal loves birds. Our first night we stayed back in the apartment, she discovered a chubby, napping bird and went crazy. Last night Mal proved her dedication to the cause when she planted her full body on the glass in an attempt to get the same bird. Luckily the glass stopped her suicide attempt.

Cat Watching Bird

-Shorter walk to any room. I fully realize how lazy that makes me sound, but walking down 20 cold steps to the bathroom to get ready in the morning was sometimes too much to take. And then, if I forgot something...back up the stairs. I blame that layout for making me late (I'm not sure what I'll blame it on this month).

-Kathryn enjoys the (unintentional) saloon door style of our bathroom entrance. I will spare you any stories, but she likes to know where everyone is at all times, clothed or not.

-Security. Our apartment has both an outer, then inner door that are locked at all times. It's a lovely, lovely thing.

Pictures of the new/old apartment once I dig it out!

Birthday Liz

Birthday Liz is pretty similar to regular Liz, except Birthday Liz is usually in a better mood because she takes the day off work. It's tough getting older, so for as long as I can get away with it, I will take my birthday off from work. (Hear that, future kids?! Mommy won't be doing anything January 14th.) My brother Jim called me to wish me a happy day and asked if I was turning 28. "Sure". Bless his poor memory, 28 sounded nice.

Birthday Liz and a (belated) Christmas cat. Kathryn hates the caplet, but I'm a big fan, so I've decided I'll put it on her whenever I feel festive.

After I made an embarrassing attempt at blowing out my candles.

Nate had the morning off so he made me french toast for breakfast. After, he asked me what I wanted to do. "Open presents", the adult said. The adult didn't take the "you don't have any presents" news very well. To clear his record, Nate is always a star with any holiday, including Sweetest Day, which is kind of a made up, Midwestern holiday. In his words, he didn't "have anything big to get [me]". Ridiculous; I have enough big items to last me a while. I wasn't so upset that I didn't have gifts, I just didn't want to only be involved in the "getting older" activity that day, I wanted a distraction. A trip to the mall fixed that problem. Thanks to Nate for indulging Birthday Liz.

She gave up after a while.

What better way to celebrate my birthday than with a Halloween swirl cake? It appears to be permanently stuck in the castle mold, so it ended up looking extra creepy. On the upside, it has helped me use less frosting whenever I have a piece. Nate asked me if I was okay being filmed as I blew my candles out. I really can't remember a birthday old or young that I've successfully finished off all my candles without the pity-filled help of those around me. I remember for around my 10th birthday, I blew out maybe one. It was quiet for a bit, possibly for those trying to figure out why a young buck couldn't manage a few candles. Well, for those still trying to figure it out-it's just not going to happen. I at least don't have age to blame on the problem. I don't really have asthma to blame either, so....

I'm happy to have survived another year; thanks to all for the birthday wishes and notes, it was fun to hear from you...almost as fun as eating an unfrosted cake out of a pan; and/or being better at eating candles than blowing them out. Until next year!

Christmas activities

Before we left for Christmas vacation, Nate and Kathryn had to finish up a few details...like finals. It's a stressful time for them, so we are always glad when it's finished. It also means it's time to go home!

Brothers at the brand new bowling alley in Afton. After Grandma's festivities, we went out on the town. "Out on the town" also included: buying socks at King's (I had forgotten any socks but nylons), buying teriyaki nuggets at the grocery store, and getting a nice home cooked meal from the local Burger King. And yes, Tom now knows a six pack is too many.

Vince helping momma Ruth with the dishes. Hotel Ruth was one of my many stops-always a favorite.

My cat stand ins, Amos 'n Andy. They come free of charge with a stay at Chateau Grey. Tom and Stacey let me stay an extra night or two whilst Nate was out of town. Highlights: watching Grey be so darn happy, eating Stacey's homemade desserts, and making fun of some of the worst real estate listings in the valley.

At the Harrison Christmas party-during the nativity production.

All of the kids did a really good job...the video is too large to post, so I'll need to figure out something else...their "lines" were the best part, followed by their creative costumes.

My night with the (almost all) blond kids. Lizzie and I played "guess the Sesame Street character", the twins actually let me hold them, and Ethan, Alisha, Jim and I laughed at how crazy/sexist the claymation "Rudolph" story really is.

The wee Ivie. Jessica's first and the only Higley grandchild in Utah, she's a popular item. It doesn't hurt that she's really cute and smiley.

Christmas morning=Christmas eyes

Liz's version of Christmas face.

Christmas day at mom and dad Harrison's house

Because Nate was gone earlier, he needed to catch up with the kitties as well.

Grey. :)

Liz up at the U near the special steps. Special steps=where Nate and I saw each other for the "first" time and started talking. Well, I started out pretending I didn't recognize him and he started out talking.

Our visits home are always fun and too quick. Thanks to both of our families!

Happy new restaurant

We are ringing in the new year in Ann Arbor today. Olive Garden kicked it off right by giving Nate a round of food poisoning he labeled "mostly worse than Peru". That's something an American restaurant should be proud of!

More substantive posts to come, but for now we will enjoy resting in a quiet, clean hotel room void of any sheet rock, cement, counter tops, garbage, people, and small bits of glass (for my kitties to possibly step in). Heavenly.

Grandma Wanda

I'm trying to take it well, but it's not working.

I lost my grandma this past week. She was 87 and lived a beautiful, full life and touched many lives. But right now, all I can think of is how she touched mine. And I want her back. In an attempt to see things in the right perspective, I found and posted some pictures of my grandma that I love; both so I can remember those moments and so you (if you hadn't already) can meet her a little bit.

Grandma and my brother Jim. I can't even imagine how many birthdays she clocked with us, either at her or our house. She came and helped us celebrate as often as she could. As you can see, she was willing to indulge her very young at heart grandchildren by wearing a smiley face party hat. She kept it on too.

Pauline, Larry and Grandma at yet another family party at my parents' house. No occasion was too small, as long as she could hitch a ride (and she always could), she was there. Once she moved down to Glenwood, she wasn't a frequent birthday party guest, but she always timed her birthday cards to show up exactly on my birthday. And the years she didn't do that, she called. Being one of 20 grandchildren, I always felt special, and was impressed at her memory (or willingness to write things down...I could learn from that).

Me and Grandma just outside the temple the day Nate and I got married. I was so very glad she could be there with us. Grandma had written me a letter in March of that year, just kind of checking in on me, but I think she wanted to make sure my dating situation was going well. In the letter, she wrote: "Take advantage of every opportunity you feel good about as you have nothing to lose". It became the theme that year, as that was right around the time when I worked up the courage to email Nate and figured a way to get him to ask me out. I'm so glad she got to meet the result of one of those opportunities that I "felt good about".

I love my grandma. I love the presence that she was/is in my life. She is such an example of so many wonderful qualities and I feel blessed to be her granddaughter. One more thing I love: that I will see her again. :)