Andrea & Zach

A year (plus) in review.

2011-11-06T16:17:00.007-07:00

How does one catch up on an entire year of one's life? With pictures. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving at the lake with Sophie's BFF (and only friend) Max.

I knit my first sweater ever. And gave it to my mom.

We spend Christmas Eve squishing our feet into ice skates and eating Japanese food.

For as athletic and sure of himself as Zach is, he was totally unsure on skates.

Sophie celebrates Christmas with the world's largest rawhide crook. It was gone within a few weeks.

Zach plays a drunk and a terrible husband in Beaux Stratgem.

Zach goes crazy at Pittsburgh's famous Primanti Brothers. Yep, that's cole slaw and fries on his sandwich.

Andrea goes crazy at the Homer Laughlin Fiestaware factory.

We brave a March blizzard to drive four hours to spend the day in 87 degree weather at an indoor waterpark.

We finally make it to this local Man vs. Food hamburger joint.

Zach taps into his emotional side while playing a social worker in 'The Boys Next Door.'

Easter dinner with our good friends Erik and Maddog.

Zach and I spend a life-changing week together in Toronto, and have no pictures to show for it.

We stopped by Hutchinson, Kansas to visit the grandparents on our mega trek west. Three women, four girls and a dog in one van. We made it though!

Headed to SLC for a hike and a much-missed gyro.

Not sure what's happening here, but we're at Erika's graduation.

These two thought our 30+ year old BMW was the coolest.

Abby took this picture from the backseat. I think the composition is great.

My parents sold their house of 26 years.

I took the girls to Lagoon.

Erik and I soak our feet in the Trafalgar Square fountain during at 80+ degree London heatwave!

Anyone have an empty barrel?

2010-09-21T19:54:00.005-06:00

On route to visit my sister in New Hampshire, we stopped by Niagara Falls. After a daunting border crossing, we finally made it to see Horseshoe Falls.

These two boys snuck over the railing to take pictures. It must have been a cool sensation to be so close to the falls without a railing.

Horseshoe Falls.

American Falls and Rainbow Bridge.

The waterfalls made some crazy static electricity. As blondies our hair stood up. We received many giggles.

Canada at dusk.

Fallingwater

2010-09-21T19:49:00.002-06:00

My parents came to visit and we took a Saturday to see Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpiece Fallingwater, a once-private home in the Ohiopyle area of Pennsylvania. The home was amazing. I can't wait to go back! A must see if you are in the southwestern part of PA.

1950's Fashion - Vintage Beauty Guide - Haircare

2010-08-31T19:07:00.000-06:00

I found this movie funny. Washing your hair every two weeks. Ew.

Central Park.

2010-05-11T11:27:00.002-06:00

Happy Dog.

Random shiz.

2010-04-22T09:20:00.005-06:00

I went back west for a friend's wedding and to hang with the fam. Here are some random snaps from that trip.

Snow on the plains. Looks like a b/w photo, but it was really just the snow. I love the way the fields look from that high up.

Rae's wedding (BTW-that's Sam, her husband. All 6 ft. 7 in. of him!)

Passing on the tradition.

Emma avoiding her stranger aunt.

E-man took this shot with my iphone. Love it!

Mit kinder.

Hangin' on State Street.

Emmy's got good taste. White convertible bimmer.

Zach wishes. We raided Chris' work (BMW) on our way to In-n-Out.

Brooke and I checked out the tulip fields in Oregon.

No, Brooke isn't that small. It's just the shoes that are huge.

My favorite west coast pups.

Astro-Brooke. The benefit of bringing your camera is having access to all the photos.

Soph's new raincoat for wet PA days.

Before I left for Utah, we took Soph for a hike to the top of Mount Nittany.

FINALLY...an update.

2010-04-22T08:25:00.008-06:00

The fam descended on Washington DC for a weekend of 'bonding.'

Washington Cathedral on a rainy day (hence the rolled hem).

A view from the top.

Stained glass.

Soph.

And more Soph.

White dog, white house.

Chris and Lyds.

We spent a lot of time goofing around in the hotel room.

Apparently Chris has a hole in his lip.

JAZZ HANDS! Love the 'caught' look on Diane's face (with a cookie, of course!)

Comparing bellies.

Looks like Diane's hair is going to take flight...

Thanksgiving in New Hampshire.

2009-12-02T10:41:00.007-07:00

We headed to New Hampshire to spend Thanksgiving with my sister and family.

On the way to get groceries, we stopped by an alpaca farm and were given the tour.

A kiss from Cooper.

Look how untrusting Lizzie is.

They're wondering why he's wearing lambs wool.

We took the girls out in the forest to gather nature to make a centerpiece. The girls really liked the crook in this tree and wanted their picture taken.

Sophie LOVED running free in the forest.

Sarah was a trooper. She walked most the way and carried a bag full of pinecones.

Our beautiful centerpiece. A few hours later a worm crawled out and everything was thrown out.

Cape Neddick. Sophie's first trip to the ocean.

Anna loves the ocean.

Nubble Lighthouse.

Our last day. The girls dressed up just to send us off. Ha!

We got Sophie some special dog treats in NH. I got this last one out to give Sophie and spoted that somebody else had had a nibble first (Sarah). I had to laugh. Sorry Kari.

Puppydom.

2009-12-02T10:31:00.004-07:00

We (or more like I) decided to foster a couple pups until they could find permanent homes. It was a LOT more work than I expected and harder than I thought to give them away, but they were so cute!

Our first night.

Petunia.

Exploring the backyard.

They loved sitting on these blue chairs.

Learning from their older sister.

Wiggly Petutee.

My buddy Buster.

Petunia and Buster.

Buster laying down after a nap.

Fall Foliage.

2009-12-02T10:24:00.005-07:00

Zach arranged for us to drive to see the fall leaves and have a picnic of cheese, pears, bread and bubbly.

We took the Rattlesnake tour.

Excited to get out of town, if only briefly.

Our picnic place (and the last of the sun.)

Life in PA.

2009-12-02T10:13:00.003-07:00

Random shots from our life.

Sophie took to digging in the backyard.

My 29th. And yes, that is a leopard print Snuggie!

For safety reasons, Zach only put nine candles on the tart.

Zach had an assignment to perform as a rockstar. He chose Steven Tyler of Aerosmith.

Groupie/Hair-dresser.

(L-R) Steven Tyler, Diana Ross, Prince, Andre 3000, Janis Joplin, AC/DC, Courtney Love, Annie Lennox, Marilyn Manson (missing Rick James).

Check out those lips.

We went trick-or-treating with some friends from school. Their daughter Maddie is cursing Zach for scaring her.

Visit from Kari and Fam

2009-12-02T10:06:00.003-07:00

Kari and her family came to visit us over Labor Day weekend. All these photos are taken by eight-year-old Anna.

Zinnias we got at the farmers market.

Sarah.

The picnic aftermath.

Self-portrait.

Uncle Zach.

In the dressing room.

Sisters.

On Our Way

2009-12-02T09:59:00.002-07:00

We stopped in Chicago 'on the way' to Pennsylvania, which turned out to be a five-hour time suck, but we got a couple pics worth posting.

At the space bean. No pics of me were taken because we were kicked off the site-no dogs are allowed, but try to find my tiny reflection somewhere in the bean.

Dinner at Ed Debevic's.

Our new home. The right half at least.

Sophie trying to stay cool in our makeshift bedroom.

We painted the house before our belongings arrived. And before we installed air conditioning.

Last Days in Utah

2009-12-02T09:49:00.004-07:00

Before moving to PA, we spent a few days in Utah packing up our belongings and spending time with family.

Red Butte Gardens.

A found dragonfly.

Lunch at the Lion House.

Winter Olympic Park at Park City.

Pretending not to be cold at the top of Snowbird.

With Yakob.

Copper wondering why his cousin gets to play with his toys.

Kissing cousins.

Goodbye kisses.

Last Days at the Lake

2009-12-02T09:43:00.003-07:00

Here are a couple snaps from our last days at the lake. My 'rents got some kayaks that we had fun with, but also resulted in a foot injury for me. :(

On our way to 'Slingshot Point.'

My stoic explorer.

My new best friend for six weeks.

The result.

The swelling.

A quick visit to Utah.

2009-07-21T14:48:00.004-06:00

We went to Utah last weekend for Zach's sister's wedding. Stupidly we didn't take any photos to share, but here are some from the other things we did.

We went hiking near Red Butte Gardens with Zach's family. After all my years living in Utah and never seeing a snake, we saw two that day. A small water snake and a good-sized rattler. Yikes! And we thought Missouri was wild.

We got to meet Troy's newest member of the family. A beagle puppy named Copper. So cute.

Kate with her pup.

Copper got his first lesson in swimming during our pool party.

Chris and Jake enjoying the shade.

Loving the puppy.

Zach and E-man.

E-man being superman!

More Misc.

2009-07-21T14:37:00.004-06:00

A guest at work (who is deathly afraid of snakes) kept seeing a three to four-foot-long Copperhead snake outside her room. Zach and I were tasked to stake out the snake and kill it with a shovel if we saw it. After 30 minutes outside and nearly an hour inside a room looking out, we never found it. But we did enjoy the ice water and king-sized Snickers we shared.

To celebrate the fourth of July, we took the boat out to watch the fireworks from the water. All the little lights are boats.

After the show the water had huge swells from all the boat traffic. It was pretty awesome. When we got back to our little point, our neighbors were shooting off another amazing show, so we floated in the cove watching.

We taught Sophie to float on this raft so we can swim deeper and still have her with us.

She digs it for a while because it gives her a good view of the shore. She watches birds and squirels and when she thinks she actually has a chance to catch one, she swims to shore. Of course the targets are gone by then.

Zach showing off the sunburn he got.

Sophie wouldn't get off the bed long enough for me to make it, so I just made her up in it.

Isn't that precious...

2009-07-21T14:32:00.004-06:00

On our way home from Kansas City, we stopped by the Precious Moments Chapel.

We tried to get the sign behind us, but this was the best shot of us, so you don't get to see the sign.

Inside the chapel. It is supposed to be reminscent of the Sistine Chapel.

Moses.

Jonah.

The Chapel.

The trumpeteers.

Free ride...

Being frogs.

Going on another trip...

Kansas City, Hey Hey Hey!

2009-07-21T14:15:00.006-06:00

We headed to Kansas City a few weeks ago to get a break from the Ozarks. We wanted good food, television and baseball.

Union Station at sunset.

We sat on the first base line at the Royals game and had a great time.

The Royals beat the Twins!

The KC skyline.

This war memorial was near our hotel and we took Sophie there for exercise. It had a great view of the city.

The Union Station had a special Narnia exhibit. Zach is High King Peter.

Sophie and I are Queen Susan.

There was a Lego exhibit at the Crown Center.

We also stopped by the Crayola store and played there.

We took Sophie over to the splash fountain at the Crown Center. She was slow to warm up to the idea, but ended up having a blast.

Soph joined in with the other kids to cool off from the Midwestern sun.

We took nearly fifty pictures before the Crown Center security (a fat guy with a flash light and uniform) told us that dogs were not allowed in the fountain. :(

We stopped by Oklahoma Joe's in Kansas City, Kansas for some BBQ. We've heard good things about the "BBQ place in the back of a gas station" and had to try it out. Zach ordered the "Z-Man" of course.

Settled in for the ride home.

Sophie snuggled in during the ride home and we slept like that for quite a while.

Sophie's Third Birthday

2009-06-18T20:31:00.010-06:00

Sophie turned three on Tuesday. We had a little birthday party in the morning and then went camping for the night.

We got her a little doggie pack because we feel she is old enough to start pulling her own weight and because we wanted her walks to give her more exercise (load the pack with water bottles and off you go, more walk for your money.)

Grandma sent her some toys, including this wiggly giggly ball which she immediately loved...

...and some peach-flavored doggy bubbles.

We camped at Roaring River State Park.

We visited the local hatchery. Sophie wondered what the splashing black things were in the water.

Ew...

Some of the trout were huge, lazy, fat suckers, like these. I put my foot in to show scale.

The hatchery is fed by this natural spring.

Not-so-Roaring River.

The water was 64 degrees, but felt amazingly refreshing.

The humidity does a number on my hair!

After a night of noisy neighbors, ravenous racoons (I heard one sneeze while it was sniffing around our tent) and weird-noise-making whatevers, we got up early and went for a hike. I thought I was really smart because we were beating the heat and most likely the snakes. Being the first one on the trail though, we snagged every fresh spider web there was. It was great.

Some cool stairs on the hike.

Should be renamed Tick Trail. We pulled seven ticks off Sophie and one each off of us. Needless to say as soon as we got back to camp, we packed up and headed back to the lake house.

Waiting for moderately tick-free civilization.

On our way home I thought it would be a great idea to climb this National Forest tower. It didn't look to scary, but after four rickety flights up, with railings at about our knees, we decided to go back down. Sophie was a trooper, but when I realized that she too was scared, I knew I was stupid to even have suggested it.

Zach having second thoughts (if you can see my reflection in his glasses, you'll see I was close to tears realizing what we had just done.)

Wondering what we were thinking...

After such an adventurous/stressful 18 hours, Sophie is finally able to relax.

Misc. MO

2009-06-18T20:21:00.004-06:00

Here are some random pictures from the last few weeks.

My second attempt at pie crusts. The crust was good, but the canned filling was not so good.

How Sophie keeps herself busy while we're gone. (She really sat on the couch just like this, no posing involved.)

Upon returning from Kansas, we found that the washer had leaked. Nothing too destructive.

One misty morning I woke up to find these spider webs in the yard.

Sophie saw me pull out the camera and growled at me until I took her picture. No kidding.

To pass the time I went to a local church's rummage sale. Saturday morning was one-dollar bag day. I spent two dollars and the better part of an hour filling them.

Here's the spread.

Zach really wanted these old 50s and 60s LOOK magazines. The articles and advertising are pretty funny.

Hutch

2009-06-18T20:18:00.002-06:00

We traveled to Kansas to visit my grandparents for a few days. While there we enjoyed the nice weather and the spacious fenced, tick-free, snake-free backyard.

Relaxing on the patio.

Loving being able to lay on the grass.

Persimmon Hill Blueberry Festival

2009-06-18T20:10:00.004-06:00

A couple weeks ago we went to a blueberry festival and picked our own blueberries (something neither of us have done before). During the festival we enjoyed local bluegrass music and blueberry barbacue sandwiches.

The local bounty.

We realized that the short bushes were easier to pick from, so we headed down those rows.

The folks at the farm told us we can eat as many blueberries as we wanted while picking, so we fed them to Sophie too.

The fruit of our labors.

Butterflies and Sinking Boats

2009-05-27T14:33:00.007-06:00

We headed into Branson yesterday to participate in a couple touristy activities. Our first stop was The Butterfly Palace.

Zach was excited to have a butterfly land on his hat.

This was our favorite butterfly. It is called the Apollo. These ones are just hatching.

The butterflies were freaking me out because they are shifty like birds.

This pretty blue butterfly wouldn't land long enough for us to get shot.

The palace was full of orchids. This one was my favorite. I call it the inkspot.

Cockroaches...Zach's favorite.

We headed next to The Titanic musuem. No cameras are allowed inside, so this is all you get.

Inside the exhibit there was a tub of 28 degree water (same temperature as when the Titanic went down). We challenged each other to see who could keep two fingers in the longest. I lasted nearly 30 seconds and Zach made it a full minute. He was rubbing his fingers to get them warm for several minutes afterward.

Zach goes native

2009-05-27T14:30:00.002-06:00

We dropped a couple things off at the local thrift store and while there picked out a shirt for Zach to feel more like a local when working in the yard. I ripped off the sleeves and viola! Instant native!

Splunking at Silver Dollar City

2009-05-25T15:46:00.002-06:00

We toured Marvel Cave at Silver Dollar City the other day.

This is the hole we had to climb down into to get into the cathedral room. Just kidding, we walked down about 600 steps, but that was how original splunkers would begin their exploration.

In the cave.

Zach spent so much time hunched over in the cave he turned into a caveman.

Zach says I look like a meerkat in this shot. We'd been underground so long my eyes weren't ready for the flash!

We took a cooking class at SDC too. This is our photo of post-class elation. Needless to say it wasn't the most exciting hour spent at the park.

Life on Bluff Lane

2009-05-25T15:34:00.005-06:00

Life here in Missouri is pretty nice.

We get to enjoy this sunset every night.

Sophie enjoys riding in the boat...

...and jumping off the back.

This is how Sophie gets her daily exercise, among a couple walks and romps in the yard.

Zach found this earthworm while cleaning up leaves. We threw in the pen so people could see the true size of this small snake-sized worm. Eww...

Garbage day. People just burn their garbage out here. Zach was like a little kid at scout camp.

Zach has the tough job of yard boy. Look at that view.

I learned to make pie crusts. What you don't see is that I spilled about a half a cup of flour down my side, onto my pants and all over the floor while I was rolling out the crust.

We made fajittas the other day and I thought the peppers and onions looked so gorgeous.

Thorncrown Chapel

2009-05-25T15:31:00.002-06:00

We headed to Arkansas for the day for my parents to meet with an architect. On the way back home we stopped by Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs. It was amazing.

My 'rents at the chapel.

Chloe Impersonator.

Mother's Day

2009-05-25T15:26:00.006-06:00

We spent Mother's Day on the road to Missouri. Sophie and Zach got me a couple knitting books.

Graduation

2009-05-25T15:16:00.004-06:00

Zach and Chris both had graduation ceremonies earlier this month at the University of Utah. Luckily we made it to both. Here are a few snaps from the day.

The proud graduates. Zach earned a degree in Theatre Studies (acting emphasis) and German last December. Chris will finish his degree in International Studies (European studies emphasis) and German this summer.

Waiting for Chris' name to be called.

The crew.

Zach and his 'rents.

FSBO

2009-03-06T11:20:00.007-07:00

Our house is officially for sale. Check out pictures of it on another one of our blogs.

http://457n150ekaysvilleutah.blogspot.com

We are having an open house on Saturday, April 18 from 1 to 4 p.m.

If you know of anyone who is looking for a house, would you please pass on this information? We are hoping to move to Pennsylvania and get settled as soon as possible.

We Are....Penn State

2009-03-06T11:10:00.004-07:00

Zach has been accepted to the Master of Fine Arts in Acting program at the Penn State School of Theatre. It is really an honor to be selected. Zach got one of only five spots available! We traveled there earlier this week to view the area, see the campus and meet the faculty. State College here we come!

We stopped by the famous Berkey Creamery on campus for some ice cream. I ate maybe one scoop and my cone and Zach finished of the rest for both of us.

Cum Laude

2009-02-03T13:07:00.001-07:00

Zach finished school in December and received his diploma in the mail when we got home from NYC. Cum Laude, baby!

NYC

2009-02-03T12:41:00.007-07:00

After leaving Yale, we headed to Manhattan for more auditions and a little sight-seeing.

Washington Square Park, just before Zach's audition with NYU.

The only show we saw was Chicago. It was pretty good.

We headed to the New York Public Library. It was pretty cool. The reading rooms were amazing.

Zach in front of the NY Public Library.

Grand Central Station. The ceiling was really cool with astrology images on it.

St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Zach's shot of me at St. Patrick's Cathedral.

Rockefeller Center.

Another creative shot by Zach.

Zach was craving a cheeseburger (big surprise, huh?) so we ate at the Stardust Diner, complete with 50s decor and singing wait staff.

Central Park.

Strawberry Fields in Central Park. Yoko Ono created this tribute to John Lennon.

Imagine.

Wall Street and Trinity Church.

Brooklyn from Manhattan.

Yale

2009-02-02T12:44:00.005-07:00

Zach and I traveled to Yale (New Haven, CT) last weekend for Zach to audition for Yale's MFA in Acting program. My sister and her family drove down from New Hampshire to spend the day with us. Here are some highlights from the day.

With the girls at Yale.

After walking around for a while, we were all frozen and headed to Barnes and Noble to warm up with some hot chocolate.

Anna sporting her cocoa-iest face.

After Zach's audition, we headed back to Kari's hotel and played with stickers. I gave the girls my entire sticker collection.

What do you do with three little girls on a cold Saturday afternoon? Go to Chuck E. Cheese's.

Gracie loved her drink so much she kept hugging it and wouldn't let it go.

Anna loved this game. We kept pumping her tokens to play over and over.

Zach and Liz playing an airplane game.

After we used up all 100 coins (it really does take a long time) we spent our tickets to get the girls pirate eye patches, among other items.

Zach telling the girls a bedtime story.

Gracie goofing off.

Yakob

2008-10-22T12:48:00.004-06:00

Here are some more up-to-date photos of Jacob. Some from the day he came home from the hospital at 5 pounds, 14 ounces and then some from last night when we gave him a gift.

Check out that bottom lip.

With big-sister Abby.

I made a little Mohawk stocking cap for him. It turned out pretty cute.

Zach and I made a blanket for him.

Had to throw this cute one in.

Jacob Anderson

2008-10-16T15:14:00.005-06:00

Jacob Anderson was born around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 14 in Salt Lake City. He was 6 pounds 2 ounces at birth. He is such a tiny thing. He spent his first couple of days in the special care nursery due to an infection, but has now gone home to be with his family. Here are a couple pictures from Tuesday afternoon. We're visiting him again today, so I'll post more pictures soon.

Mr. Roboto

Expressing his dislike to our cold fingers.

The proud papa.

Zach now has another little buddy to play with.

I couldn't believe how tiny he was. His features are petite just like him. He looks like a mini person.

Opening his eyes.

I put this picture in to show how small he really is. I don't have large hands, but look how tiny Jacob looks.

Celebrating Anniversaries

2008-09-25T16:44:00.006-06:00

We've been celebratin' anniversaries lately. Here are the last two.

Zach suprised me for our sixth-month anniversary with all these candles, dinner and a pair of white sapphire earrings.

The shelf area almost looked like an altar.

Table for two.

We celebrated the third anniversary of our first date by redoing parts of it, including going to Color Me Mine and painting pottery. We decided on food and water bowls for our pup. Here's mine before it was glazed.

Zach's before. He was in charge of her food bowl and painted all her favorite things to eat or things she wishes she could eat, including birds and cats.

Studiously painting away.

Zach is growing his hair for a role and was growing a beard for it too. He has shaved since.

My inscription.

Zach knows who is boss.

After.

After.

Sophie enjoying eating lunch out of her new bowls.

Obama and Lights

2008-09-25T16:25:00.002-06:00

Zach and I drove by the SLC Obama headquarters and snagged a couple Obama signs for our yard. We stuck one in my parents yard to get a reaction and then snapped a couple of these cool light shots from inside our Element.

Emma's First Visit

2008-09-25T16:14:00.002-06:00

Chris and Lydia brought Emma to our house for her first time. Here are a few snaps I got of her.

Spoiled Sophie

2008-09-25T16:07:00.004-06:00

We love our dog, and in turn we spoil her with affection and attention. Here are some recent pics of the spoiled pup.

I came home from work one day and she was laying like this. She barely lifted her to say hello.

I love how she just looks right into the camera. So bold, not apologizing at all for her laziness.

Extreme close-up.

We finished painting our shed over the weekend. Sophie kept rubbing against it.

Our mutt.

Unapologetic.

My favorite time of the day is when Sophie will let me hold her. It doesn't happen very often so I have to revel in the few short moments I get.

The Lake House

2008-09-24T12:49:00.003-06:00

My 'rents have been house hunting on Table Rock Lake for nearly a decade. They finally found something they couldn't pass up. They bought a little (and I mean tiny) lake house on Campbell Point. You can see the lake from both sides of the house and the backyard goes right down to the water. The area is amazing, the water beautiful and the marina rocks. Can't wait to spend many, many summers there.

And they finally did!

The proud owners (as of Oct. 17, they haven't closed yet!)

The backyard.

Lots of afternoons will be spent on that deck. The view is mesmerizing.

Serenity.

These flowers are so interesting. They are called 'Naked Ladies' and I am sure you can imagine all the jokes we made about Normie buying a house with a backyard of naked ladies.

More of the nudies.

Among the naked ladies.

Zach pretends not to look at the naked ladies.

Kicking it in the lake front backyard.

More Heaven On Earth

2008-09-24T12:22:00.010-06:00

Here are a few more pictures of heaven on earth, aka Table Rock Lake. They aren't in any particular order, but I hope you enjoy all the same.

The clan. Our group was quite small this year, but I think we all still had fun. Can't wait for next year when more of us will be together.

The best amusement park on either side of the Mississippi!

Canadian geese flock to the resort, just watch out where you're walking!

More resort residents.

These deer were like the size of a large lab. Sophie would love to play with one.

The Altenhof Inn. Yummy German food and amazing view.

Normie warming up the skis. Diane skiied for a short ride, but I don't know that we took pictures. She ended up choking on water and freaking out and that was the end of that.

Z-Dawg riding it up.

Check out that concentration.

Gearing up.

Grinding that wake.

Bobbing heads. We could spend all day in the water.

Zach cliff jumping. Check out me behind a group of camp girls. They all wanted to hold hands and jump at the same time. Imagine the limbs flailing when everyone hit the water!

These ducks dug Normie's boat. They wanted a ride.

The ever-stoic Norman.

Did you just hear a banjo?

Who wouldn't love it here?

Darling Diane.

The best way to ride on the boat.

Zach agrees.

Zach and his umpteenth cheeseburger.

Wheee.... Our last night on the lake.

We visited my grandparents in Kansas on our way home. We celebrated my grandma's birthday with brunch at the Prarie Dunes Golf Course.

Gotta love Kansas and all its antiques.

A beautiful sunflower at my grandma's.

My grandpa's tomatoes. They were the largest tomato plants I have ever seen!

Table Rock Lake

2008-09-22T13:44:00.008-06:00

So, I am a little behind (like more than a month) on posting photos from our trip to Table Rock Lake, Missouri. I told folks that I would blog while we were there, but I never had enough energy. Any spare time was filled with swimming, wake boarding or going to Silver Dollar City. We have lots more pictures, but here's just the start. I may post more later.

We stopped in Lincoln, Nebraska to visit my uncle and meet his pup, Heidi. She is so sweet.

The most beautiful dog in Nebraska.

We stopped for lunch at Gate's BBQ in Kansas City, Missouri. Zach had never been there, but loved it. Total cultural experience.

"Hi, may I help you?"

Zach ended up ordering a whopper of a meal, everything BBQ and more.

Delicious BBQ beef sandwich with amazing BBQ beans.

Mmm...

Before checking in at the resort we made a quick stop to Silver Dollar City. Zach readies himself to join the Ozarkian Daredevil Club.

After racing go-carts at The Fast Track, we headed inside for a little arcade amusement.

World's Largest Banjo, right here in Branson, Missouri!

This funky car was off the side of Highway 76. You can see part of the World's Largest Banjo in the top left corner of the picture.

We wanted to add a little something to the car.

A bottle cap we found and stuck it to the car with our gum. We dedicate it to Anna and Lizzie.

One day it poured rain. Those who are familiar with Indian Trails Resort will know that this stream doesn't belong there.

We played so hard that Zach had to catch some sleep when he could.

Heaven on earth.

Doing a little wakeboarding.

Zach showing off his skills.

This should be a postcard or something.

Campbell Point Marina. It rocks!

Zach has the local fauna eating out of his hand.

Resort residents.

Blue heron.

Our last night on the lake, we took the boat out to see the full moon and watch the Showboat Branson Belle.

In love with the lake.

Pool Party

2008-09-22T13:28:00.005-06:00

I'm playing a little catch-up here. We celebrated Mom and E-man's birthdays in July with a pool party at Troy's. Here some pictures from the day!

The birthday girl.

Our host.

We have been teasing Norm and Zach that they are BFFs. I think these pictures confirm that notion.

Kate.

Underwater.

E-Man.

He wanted me to make sure that I got a picture with his goggles.

Abby.

That's as far as Abby went underwater.

10 days later...

2008-09-17T14:35:00.003-06:00

Here's another picture of Miss Emma, 10 days after birth. I think she's starting to look like Chris.

Emma Leigh

2008-09-05T13:33:00.003-06:00

Chris and Lydia welcomed their new little girl to the world at 10:16 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. Emma is eight pounds, 20 inches and is doing fine. Lydia gave us all quite a scare and Chris has finally stopped freaking out.

Check out all that beautiful hair.

Lydia and Emma after quite an eventful day.

Chris is finally able to relax and enjoy his baby girl.

The proud aunty.

I think Zach is in love.

Grandma feeds Emma her first meal.

Grandpa was glowing.

Ahh...

Zachary Scott

2008-07-17T11:01:00.006-06:00

Zach is currently performing in a play called 'Captain Bree and Her Lady Pirates' through Youth Theatre and the U. I saw it for a second time yesterday. Here are a few 'non-flash photography' shots I took from the audience. The performance runs through Saturday evening and will reprise in November.

Kate, Abby and Grandma waiting for the show to start. Every time Zach went off stage Abby would ask 'Where's Zach?'

Opening number.

Yo ho!

Looking off the starboard side.

Being informed the crew has jumped ship at the first sight of the lady pirates.

Captain Jennings protects his ship from scurvy pirates.

Captain Bree and Captain Jennings duke it out.

Pirate captive.

Being threaten by Captain Bree.

Ethan, post show, doing his best pirate pose.

Four months of bliss...

2008-07-17T10:55:00.004-06:00

Zach surprised me with a picnic in the park for our four-month anniversary. He didn't forget anything! It was awesome!

Warming up the grill.

Super-prepared Zach even premade the hamburgers and individually wrapped them.

The spread.

Grilling.

Glowing in the setting sun.

Big bite.

Dinner.

The aftermath.

Water Dog

2008-07-17T10:36:00.005-06:00

Sophie has turned into a real water dog. I took her to Pineview twice last week and she loved it. She was a little slow to warm up to the water, but if allowed, would play fetch in the water all day! Riding in the bow on the boat wasn't too bad either.

Stealing a ride in the captain's chair.

Glamor shot.

Kate.

Abby.

Ethan throwing the stick for Sophie.

Swimming in.

Fourth of July

2008-07-17T10:19:00.006-06:00

This post is a little late coming, but here it is anyway. We spent the fourth of July in Star Valley at my parents' cabin. There wasn't enough room in the inn, so Zach and I were relegated to sleep on the lawn in a tent we got as a wedding gift. It turned out really great!

The sunshines on Star Valley.

Swift Creek.

At the top.

Lydia puts her fears behind her.

A wicked goosing!

Mama Bear protecting her little one from teenage boys.

After the Jackson Hole fireworks show.

Flash envy.

The kids love Zach.

Sophie's Second Birthday

2008-06-25T14:43:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Sophie's second birthday with what was supposed to be a slip'n'slide party, but turned out to be a water fight party. No one was brave enough to bring out a camera during the fight, so here are the activities that happened after.

I made Sophie a doggy birthday cake. She really seemed to enjoy it.

Grandpa didn't want Sophie to feel left out of the water fight so he dunked her in the pool.

Sophie got a lot of toys for her birthday. She got a little overwhelmed, but later that evening she started to play with each of them.

Proudly displaying her new collar.

With Dad.

I threw this one in for good measure. Sophie likes to sleep like this during the afternoon.

We got crabs.

2008-06-25T14:27:00.006-06:00

Friday, the last full day we had in Oregon, we drove down to Netarts Bay for a morning of crabbing. It turned out to be a lot of fun. We had a little seal friend who kept stealing our bait. We were warned that the red rock crabs were aggresive and Zach experienced that first hand when one pinched his finger!

Getting ready to drop the first trap.

On the far left is the head of our bait-stealing seal friend.

Don't know what this was about.

Red Rock Crab. Super aggressive.

The only two crabs we caught of keeping size. They ended up fighting and one ripped the other one's claw off.

The competition.

Don't worry. The crab got the last laugh. Zach was playing with the joint and it squirted goo onto his jacket!

Quiet contemplation on Cape Meares.

Octopus Tree.

Inside Cape Meares Lighthouse.

We rented bikes to cruise around Seaside.

Trying to ditch Zach. I'm not fast enough.

Lewis and Clark Saltworks. L and C would evaporate ocean water here to gather salt for preserving foods, etc.

Forts of Fancy

2008-06-23T16:28:00.008-06:00

I am playing catch-up from end of our trip to Oregon. Thursday we went to Fort Clatsop and Fort Stevens. Fort Clatsop is where the Lewis and Clark expedition stayed for the winter among the Clatsop Native Americans. Fort Stevens was used during WWII. It was really cool. Some of the buildings made me feel like I was in a 007 video game.

Fort Clatsop.

Zach gets comfy in the captain's quarters.

The canoe landing.

"A rowing we will go..."

Interesting specimen.

The beach at Fort Stevens.

This ship wrecked on the beach long, long ago. It was left there and all that remains is the iron or steel (?) hull.

The local fauna.

Fort Stevens.

Zach was too busy goofing around so I had to take my own picture.

Clatsop Native American Longhouse.

Looks like I have a thing for tall guys. Outside the Bigfoot Cafe in Seaside. (This one is for Lydia.)

Big foot, big...

Downtown, Dogs and Donuts

2008-06-11T23:45:00.003-06:00

Today was pretty mellow. We headed to Portland for the afternoon and hit up Powell's Bookstore and a few other shops in the Pearl District. For lunch we went to Por Que No? and totally enjoyed it! Another visit to Voodoo Doughnuts resulted in four grape-ape donuts, one pink lemonade bismark and a voodoo donut. We ended the day with a trip to the dog park with a fairly sedated Chloe and fairly excitable Will.

A cool poster on Mississippi Avenue.

Andrea's usual position in the car.

North to Astoria

2008-06-10T20:49:00.007-06:00

Today was another blustery, cold, rainy day. We headed to Astoria to the Maritime Museum and learned about the wild joining of the Columbia River and Pacific Ocean, the over-fishing of salmon and sand bar piloting.

The Flaval House.

For lunch we headed to The Wet Dog Cafe. The location was great, the decor was awesome and the food was fantastic. I started the meal with an amazing cup of hot chocolate.

We shared two puppy hamburgers. Super great.

The best clam chowder Zach has had this trip.

Marionberry Cobbler.

The Astoria column.

We found the Goonies house, but were confronted with another no tresspassing sign. For fear of boobie traps, we turned around.

Four-mile bridge.

Died and Gone to Cheese Heaven

2008-06-10T20:32:00.002-06:00

We spent Monday popping in and out of shops in Seaside before driving down the coast to the Tillamook Cheese Factory.

I'll have this piece.

A little German chocolate cake ice cream to help cool down that sunburn.

We visited my cousin Jackie in Cornelius. I haven't seen her in far too long.

We were having doggie withdrawls and needed to take Chloe and Will for a walk before hitting the town.

Calm Chloe.

Wild Will.

The beauty after the rain.

One doughnut shop, three personalities.

Tangtastic doughnut. Look Marc SODAPOP!

Low Tide at Cannon Beach

2008-06-08T19:47:00.005-06:00

We spent the day at Cannon Beach, playing in the tide pools, flying kites and making sand castles. Here are a few shots of the creatures we found.

After the long day at the beach, Zach needed another slice of pizza.

Oregon Ho!

2008-06-07T20:01:00.006-06:00

We're in Oregon for a week to celebrate Zach's parents' 25th anniversary. Today we went to the Cannon Beach Sandcastle Festival. Here are a few highlights.

Haystack Rock.

The local flora.

The best slice of pizza Zach has ever had. 'Pizza a Feta' in Cannon Beach.

Peonies we bought at the Hillsboro Farmer's Market. Two bucks a stem!

Hugging at Henry Hagg Lake.

We finally found the Roloff farm from TLC's 'Little People, Big World.' Unfortunately we respected their privacy.

German-style barbecue

2008-06-05T12:48:00.004-06:00

Over the weekend we hosted a German-style barbecue to celebrate our wedding with friends and family. We had great weather, great food, great friends and more (this is starting to sound like a Training Table commercial).

We haven't received the pictures from our photographer yet, but follow this link to check out some she has posted on her blog.

sharonjohnsonphotography.blogspot.com

I'll post more photos when we get the CD.

Our Wedding

2008-04-04T09:27:00.002-06:00

We were married on Satuday, March 15, 2008 at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, Utah. Here are a few pictures from the big day!

Wedding Day Details

2008-04-04T09:26:00.002-06:00

I love the photography from our wedding so much, I can't help but post a few more detail shots.

Wild, Wild Night

2008-04-04T09:19:00.004-06:00

After the dinner, we had a dance that got a little crazy toward the end!

The Honeymoon

2008-04-04T09:18:00.003-06:00

We went to San Francisco and northern California for our honeymoon. Here are several shots from the week.

The first and most important stop.

Buena Vista Park.

Haight & Ashbury

Driving down Lombard Street.

The unquenchable excitement.

Muir Beach at sunset.

The Pelican Inn at Muir Beach. We stayed there for a night and absolutely loved it! It's an old English-style inn with seven guest rooms above a pub and restaurant. It even has a private snug for inn guests only. Highly recommended if you are ever in the San Francisco area. Just 20 minutes outside the city.

Zach lost his camera to this log. On the way down, his shutter was jammed open and nothing would focus. Within a few minutes my camera shutter broke too. We had to drive back into town to buy a new camera.

Fishing out the camera.

Muir Beach by day.

It's our honeymoon. We are granted one super cheesy pictures!

Okay, maybe two.

Sea glass. I didn't think it really existed, but we collected it along the shore.

We finally made it out of the condo after a day of laying pool side, sleeping and watching tv.

A vineyard in March. We stupidly expected lush vines and grapes.

Armstrong Woods, where they filmed parts of Star Wars.

The ever chivalrous Zach projects his woman from advancing storm troopers.

Ewok sighting!

One big tree and old too, 1400 years.

Duncan Hills. It reminded us of England.

Cliffside in Jenner.

The Jenner Post Office.

There was a seal habitat on the beach in Jenner. The little ones were playing in the surf.

Watching the seals.

This is the church in the Alfred Hitchcock movie 'The Birds.'

Golden Gate Bridge.

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge.

Alcatraz.

Ghirardeli Square.

Fisherman's Wharf.

Getting ready to ride a cable car.

Trolley dorks.

Union Square.

Transamerican building in the background.

Waiting for the shuttle to the airport.

The honeymoon is over.

The Aftermath

2008-04-04T09:10:00.004-06:00

When we returned from our honeymoon, we were greeted with a decorated house. Confetti is still everywhere.

The Showers

2008-03-26T11:16:00.008-06:00

Our friends and family came out and supported us at several showers. Here are a few pictures from the showers.
My mom's neighborhood shower.

Zach's mom's shower.

My mom's family shower. Of course something embarrasing would pop up there!

Engagement Photos

2008-01-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

We had our engagement photos taken on a cold December day at Exchange Place in Salt Lake City. Here are some of our favorites.