Fondu Colki

DELICIOUS! Fondu dinner with new friends, Natalie and Marc!

My favorite was the cheese appetizer.

Yummy French drinks.

Chicken, steak, shrimp and veggies with all the sauces.

My man.
I forgot to take a picture of dessert! Of course it was chocolate with cake (crazy blondies I made that did not turn out right but tasted like cake so that's what I'll call it), strawberries and pineapple! YUM!
This is me waiting for the bus to take me to work. I want to go back to sleep in bed with husband snoozy face.

Bus riding, memorial eating

Here is Smith in DC. We rode the Metro to Chinatown, and then took a bus to Philadelphia. It was just 2 hours and 45 mins. We watched the movie, Adam about a man with Asperger's Syndrome, read our book, The People of Paper, and I slept and dreamt of our bus flying off cliffs.

beautiful dirty Phili

Ete giving us a tour. They'd done so much since we'd been there last!

getting ready for their baby boy! He comes on the 14th!!! Such adorable little feetsies.

Sarah made cinnamon rolls and that is what we ate for 2 days. DELICIOUS.

Sunday morning walk through Pitman. We LOVED going to 1:30pm church!!!!!!!!!! Our church is at 8:30am, so it was the most wonderful break. Honestly, I've gained a testimony of later church! We got to wake up well-rested, read our lessons, read our scriptures, go on a walk together, and eat breakfast all before getting ready and leaving. EXCELLENT.

I loved this house. Half of it on stilts.

I like taking pictures of signs.

yes, yes, my shirt is inside-out and I like games.
This is one of my favorite books of all time, The People of Paper. Collin hasn't read it so we're reading it together aloud. I love Collin Smith.

grillin


Wiffleball fun. I was so nervous to play because it had been awhile since I'd played any sports, but I did AWESOME! I got on base every time I hit, got a few runs, and caught a fly ball in the outfield. Man, I felt 22 again.

Sweet Carolee and Sassy Sarah

It was time to get going. Uncle Miti drove us into Phili, and we made it to the bus station just in time to fight our way on the bus! We made it! Phew!!

This is where we stopped to get gas in the middle of nowhere on the bus back to DC. FREAKY! We all thought we had broken down and/or were going to die.

It was good to be back home in DC, but we had another 1.5 hours home to Rockville!!

True??

Here's a deer in our backyard. Yahoo.

Ah, Rockville.

We're home from a great and jam-packed weekend. The trip home last night took us 6 hours, but man, it was worth it. Everything takes long with us. We're ADVENTURERS!

Much documenting to come.

Goodbye 2010th February

Collin and I took a trip to the Smithsonian Hirshhorn. It was lovely! Mostly colorful modern things and sculpture.
This is by one of my favorite artists, Giacometti.
Just look at this view. This is the best city, ever!

Collin, the art man, telling me everything he knows. He's smart AND sexy!

This is a tiny section of what makes up the next photo. It was awesome!!

Friday was date night (and day). We left on the bus at 10am, went to the Washington DC Temple! It was so beautiful inside. I loved it. My parents were sealed there almost 27 years ago, and it was special to visit each beautiful sealing room, thinking perhaps, this was the one.

It started snowing!!! I now have a grudge against the snow, big time. I JUST NEED SUN! SWIMMING! FLOWERS! WARMTH!

Then we took a VERY VERY LONG BUS RIDE to Walmart in Germantown. We bought tons more paint for our place!!!! It was excellent. But we missed the last bus that goes directly in front of our house, and had to take the one that goes to a 10 minute walk from our house. This paint was HEAVY! We barely made it. We had to keep saying, "okay....just make it to the lightpost..."....."just make it to the brick wall..."......"just make it to that giant snow pile..." PHEW! But we DID make it and we are ALIVE!! It was a long day, but a wonderful day with my sweetheart.

We stocked UP on Easter Treats!!! I LOVE MINI CADBURY EGGS! I want to die with them in my arms! I'm so excited for MARCH, Birthdays, The Smiths visiting, Spring Break, Easter, and General Conference in April! And for it to get warmer!!

In Current News: Collin started his first day of work today! He's there now and happily learning all he can! I'm so proud of him for his hard work and willingness to commute so far for our family. I officially start my job today--after two weeks of training, I'm on my own tonight!

In Strage News: Our shower head broke--OFF. So until we can get back to Walmart, we have these weird hose showers. Back to Africa, woooo!

In Happy News: I love White Tea and Ginger body lotion from Bath & Bath Works.

In Birthday News: Ours are both this month! Mine is the 13th and Collin's is the 26th! Yes!

WELCOME, LOVELY MARCH!

Mr. + Mrs. Smith go to Washington

Rockville, Maryland actually. We have spent the last week - from Friday January 15th to Friday January 22nd - with the Stromsdorfers. Now we are in our new home! It is a real home too. With two bedrooms. The funny part is that we are sleeping in the second bedroom because it has a bed. And frankly, every time I go into the master bedroom I keep thinking I am going into someone's parent's room. But I am the someone and I am the "parent" adult. It is a weird feeling. Like I have to grow up - bigger.

Our view is gorgeous, the grass is green and there are so many trees. While none of them have leaves on them, it feels very homey, woody. And then there's the temple! We don't have a view from our house, but it is on the same lot as where we meet each Sunday for church. It shoots out of the top of the forest like a great white castle. I can't wait to go in! Church was great - such a friendly ward. Lots of young couples, army medical students, law students, older families. We have joined the choir. Fun. Annnddddd. We love it. This is where we are meant to be.

Of course, it is hard to be away from old friends. It is difficult to not just drop by with an arm full of board games or run off to our favorite Mexican joint. We don't have anyone to spend a few hours with jamming out to Rock Band or sharing Family Home Evening on Monday nights, but it will come.

We are close to other family that we haven't seen in awhile. My brother Ian and his wife Ashley with Lauren, Kate and soon-to-come Lincoln live 12 hours away in Clarksville, TN. Nikki's cousins live in Pitman, NJ and I have many friends in New York City (which is just a $25 round-trip, 3-hour ride on the China Town Bus!!). I am SOOO nervous. Can't help it. I have a wife to support, not to mention my unquenchable appetite. But it goes well for now. We have the faith that we are where we are supposed to be, and that I will find the job that is right for my career.
-Collin