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9.30.2013

DISNEY DAY

When Dave is out of town on business for a week we all put on polka dots, grab our Mickey ears, and go to Disneyland.


And when we asked one of the Disney photographers in front of Cinderella castle to take our picture...this is what happened:


We got a mini photo shoot.  We didn't ask for these poses...I think he was just excited someone let him take their picture.  Well we didn't buy any of the ones you took of us on your camera, but thanks Disney guy.


And fall was all up and over the happiest place on earth.  If that doesn't make you smile I don't know what will.





And lastly, let it be known that the Teacups are one of my all time favorite rides.  So of course we had to hit those before we left:


And that was a wrap, because, you know, it was a school night for Brooke.

9.24.2013

GOT SUCCULENTS?


Yes, it's true.  I totally and completely killed my one little succulent plant when we were out of the house so much last month.  Probably a combination of, um, no water and little/no sunlight.  Turns out succulents aren't indestructible...lesson learned ;) But I want to give this being a green thumb thing one more go.  Now, just which one to pick...

P.S. found some good tips for, you know, not killing your succulents here.

9.23.2013

LIFE OF LATE


In the past week I:
a) Got a new phone case.  Finally!  Poor little blue anchor case was on his last leg...and was starting to disintegrate so...time to go.
b) Had a lot of time to myself at night with Dave getting home later in the PM.  Cue chocolate ice cream, How I Met Your Mother episodes, and pedicures.  This job change might not be good for my waistline...
c) Ate a lot of Nutella.  We ran out of bananas kinda fast over here...
d) And I finally got to see David's office!  He will most often be out and about doing audits, but it was fun to see where home base is from now on.  Thanks for the new job E&Y!

We also watched the BYU v Utah game over at the Owen's home on Saturday night.  It could have been such a better game, and we tried to distract ourselves by playing dominoes, but Dave would have none of it.  He cheered on the cougars til the bitter, bitter end.  And looked like this a lot of the time (aka, every time Hill tried to make a pass):


They tried Dave....they really tried. 

Oh, and I almost killed my phone on Saturday night.  The bathroom is no place for electronics.  Let it be known: the wet phone in a bag of rice trick actually works.  File that one away for future use.

And now the boy is off to Kentucky for the week doing his first big audit, and I have come down to be with the fam in Orange County.  No need to be home all alone for a whole week, right?
My thoughts exactly.  

9.18.2013

HIGHLIGHTS #70

David was pretty excited about it being halfway through the week this morning.  This is his first real full week of working at his new job after a week and a half of training, and he. is. pooped (and loving it).  The BYU/Utah game is what is pulling him through to Friday.  Go Cougs.  Till then, here are some highlights from around the web:

ok, this is cool, and nerdy

UP in real life

yes, I'm psyched about this new Harry Potter movie

is it weird that I always wonder about this?

what classic kid's books are really about

and while we're talking about reading, these are some great quotes

and this necklace

xo

9.16.2013

SPRING/SUMMER READS

“Never trust anyone who has not brought a book with them.”
-Lemony Snicket
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Great Train Robbery - Michael Crichton

This was a book I stole off my sister's bookshelf at random and added to my pile of to-reads.  And you know what?  I really liked it.  Crichton has a way of telling a story and educating you about its specific circumstances that is intriguing and easy to read.  I'd say this was comparable to Ocean's Eleven or something in that vain.  I've never read anything by Michael Crichton, but I think I'm going to go get Jurassic Park sometime soon...




The Work & The Glory (series of 8 volumes) - Gerald N. Lund

After The Great Train Robbery I took a little reading break...and then when I was ready to get around to a new paperback I discovered my bookshelf was running low and I'd probably have to go get something from the library, thus making my reading hiatus last a little longer...Then while at my parents house I saw The Work & the Glory series on the shelf and asked if my mom had enjoyed them.  She said she had and I grabbed the first 3 books.  With eight books int he series, I slowly plowed through them and very much enjoying how much I learned about Church history.  I definitely enjoyed the characters and the author's attention to historical fact and fiction (excellent chapter notes). My advice: church history is not an easy subject so don't go into this thinking it will be light reading.  I became so frustrated at times I had to just put the book down and walk away, but it's worth reading.

The Belgariad (series of 5 volumes) - David Eddings

 Dave and I got hooked on listening to books on tape ever since we started taking long road trips together.  After listening to a host of Brian Sanderson novels, we started this five book series by David Eddings.  It was cute, easy to listen to, and tells the coming of age story of a boy named Garian.  It's teen fiction, and is fairly predictable, but has it's own charm.





Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

We finished The Belgariad series on our way up to Utah and started Ender's Game.  Truthfully I wasn't too keen on listening to this book; I started it sometime around when I was in middle school and thought it was too violent to finish, but David was really excited to read the book again before the movie came out...so I caved.  Turns out I thought it was really a good book.  It is a little violent and it's not an easy plot line, but it's a great scifi story, and Ender is a great main character.  It was one of the book we just had to listen to at least a little bit each night just because we were so hooked.




The Speaker For the Dead - Orson Scott Card

So...turns out we had such a good time in Ender's world that we turned around and listened to the next book in the series.  Speaker For the Dead was nothing we expected it to be, but didn't disappoint.  Card takes you to a whole different planet 3,000 years after the conclusion of Ender's Game where humanity has  found intelligent alien life and how they try to interact with them.  We listened to an interview with Card after we finished the book, and actually this was was the book he set out to write all along, but he ended up having to write Ender's Game to set up the storyline in order to write Speak for the DeadEnder's Game just ended up becoming much more famous.  This wasn't an easy story, and I 'm still not sure if I liked it or not, but if you liked Ender's Game, this is along that same vain.



** Dave and I are currently in the middle of I Am Legend (so creepy) and The Count of Monte Cristo (so long!).  Reviews to come...

9.11.2013

WEB WEDNESDAY #69


It's hump day again!  Yeah for making it halfway through the work week!  Dave has now been at E&Y for a full week, and I can honestly say I've seen less of him than I thought I was going to (darn LA traffic), but we persevere.  Now I understand all that talk from our elders about putting in their dues...oh.  These kind of dues.  Got it.

Ah well, thank goodness for the weekend!  He's all mine this particular Friday afternoon and all through til Monday morning...I need to think of something fun to do...

Until then here are some fun find from around the web:

the cutest story

to make you smile today

if Disney princesses had Instagram...

I'm a visual learner

11 authors who hated the movie version of their books

source material to fill those awkward moments

a sweet idea

and some little known facts about California, who just had its 163 birthday a few days ago

and last, but not least, this is so cute (who cares if it might be a hoax)

xo

9.09.2013

FAMILY PHOTOS

We took some family pics back in July with the Tobler clan while we were all together on Balboa Island, and I just got my copy and couldn't help but share.  Our last official family pictures were taken before we added any spouses to the mix...like when I was in middle school, maybe early high school?  So these were much in order and too much fun to take.

 **All photos by Tiffany Hodson

These pics have made me come to the conclusion that it is high time I made my way back to being a full brunette.  

Dear ombré, you had your fun, but it's time for me to go back to my roots.  Literally. 
xo, Carly

9.07.2013

MOAPA VALLEY

We caravaned with my parents on our way back from Utah and en route we stopped off at a little less than known hotspot from the Tobler's growing up years: Overton, Nevada.

As kids we came to this little tiny town to go boating on Lake Mead and I've got fond memories of it's unearthly heat, ice cream, American BBQ Asian cuisine, and trying to explain to the locals why we would ever vacation here when we lived in Orange County.


Oh Overton, it's been a while.  It was nice to hang out again.

9.05.2013

PROVO

Well, we've been back to real life now for almost a week and I'm still only half way back into the swing of things.  Two weeks away can totally throw a person off!  There were bills to pay, laundry to be done, car things to be taken care of, and church responsibilities on the side.  The works.  And Dave started his new job on Wednesday!  He's pretty darn excited about it and he looked quite dapper yesterday on his way to his first day back to the grind:


But back to our last week of freedom.  Honestly, we need to ask for the month of August off mmm...every year.  We had so much fun running around the west coast and being with all our favorite people.

**Be warned: this post is full of photo documentation.

The first week we were in Utah we were up at our cabin in Midway, but the second week we were back down in Provo.  We spent a few night at David's brother house and the rest of the week at David's parent's house while my in-laws were in Canada with Dave's other brother.  We were sad that they were gone for one of the few times we're actually up in Utah (for a whole week), but so it was...and, on the bright side, it did free us up to hang out with some of our other favorite people:


We hung out with some configuration of this group of ladies every night we were there.  Talk about fun times.  I haven't spent this much time with these girls in over a year and we sure miss them (oh, and their husbands too ;)

We also spent more time with this cutest nephew of ours.  Geez, they grow up soooo fast when you're not watching.  I swear he was just a tiny baby yesterday.

Half the fun of coming to Utah is all the cutest nieces and nephews we get to smother.   


We bit the bullet (per my request) and hiked the Y.

Last time I confronted that mountain I was a brand spankin' new cougar freshman and, due to my lack of proper footwear, I ended up with one of my toenails falling off...I was better prepared this time round.



It's a fairly intense hike (yes we stopped at every one of those 11 switchbacks), and it was actually sprinkling on us the whole way up - which did feel pretty nice.  But that view is worth it, and of course, sitting on the Y is too fun.  Plus we had the best hiking buddies, so we weren't complaining.


We spent one Utah summer night sitting on a blanket listening to a country cover band in the park, taking silly pictures on my phone, and playing volleyball with one of my girlfriend's single's ward (my arms were SO sore afterwards - I'm definitely out of practice).  Then we picked up and went to a free outdoor movie in another park, grabbing a Little Caesar's 5buck for dinner.  If there is any more quintessential Utah summer night from my time in college, I don't know what it would be.


We, of course, made it up Salt Lake one day and made the rounds of Temple Square and one of our favorite SLC eateries.  It was a full, summer rainstormy kind of afternoon.

Have I raved about Bruges Waffles & Frites around here yet?  I'm sure I have.  We're pretty much smitten and I'm still in the works of coming up with some kind of copycat recipe, but oh boy...these are our favorite.  We tried "The Monster" this time round: one waffle cut in half with strawberries, ice cream, and our favorite speculoos spread in the middle.  We force ourselves to share just one, but...you know I could eat my own, no problem.


We spent one after work evening (darn jobs get in the way of all our fun) with our best friends BBQing and watching the sunset from Dave's other brother's house *cough*cough* and fabulous backyard.

The boys did most of the swimming, and the ladies did a lot of chatting, it was a lovely time and Scott and Anj were so kind to let us commandeer their backyard and their little girls.



We, of course, had to hit up Jdawgs while in Provo.  I like hotdogs as much as the next person, but I only ever crave a Jdawg.  That special sauce?  Oh baby.  Gimme some of that goodness.


We also attempted floating the Provo River with our friend Steve.  I was under the impression that it would take an hour or so, and...two and half hours later we started back home.  We floated on our own tubes, which is fine, but apparently it's illegal to float the river without life jackets on.  Who knew?  Now we do.  Anyways we got tipped off that a sheriff was downriver from us ticketing such un-jacketed individuals as ourselves.  So, logically, we scrambled up a steep, dirty, wasp and spider cover slope and walked barefoot for the last quarter mile left on the railroad tracks (probably another misdemeanor) back to our car.  Oh, the memories.  Somehow, none of us got a splinter, or a ticket!  So, I guess we were somewhat successful.

And we didn't see a single policeman the whole way back.  Better safe than sorry I guess...(grumble, grumble)

 We have a new and profound appreciation for shoes after this...
And those are smiles of sore, sore feet.

 We dug up a scooter in Dave's parent's garage and of course had to give it a go.  Those things are so fun (when you remember how to brake...).


And, last, but not least, one of the funnest reasons for being up in Utah this week was being able to go to one of my sweetest girlfriend's weddings!  She was the most beautiful bride, and we had such a fun time being there with them to celebrate. 


My family was also up in Salt Lake for the afternoon, so after we went to the temple we spent some time with them wandering downtown and spending time with my Grandma Tobler.  She moved up to Utah right when we left for California.  Terrible timing.  It would have been so fun to spend some time together in the same state for a while.


And, of course, the reception that night was a ball.  I'm all over those sparklers, and I love that picture of the bride and groom running off holding hands.  So, so fun.  Gosh I love weddings.



And that was a wrap.  We left for home the next morning caravaning down to California with my parents.

Oh Utah.  We had so much fun these past two weeks.  I'll work on getting August off again next year so we can repeat this :)