Point Abetushka.

I love my brother-in-law and his mad Photoshop skills.

This is way better than any MormonAd I've ever seen!

deflated/inflated

Jon Stewart managed to stymie (humourously) my uplifted and inspired post-inaugural state:



Also, Jordan and I had a spontaneous engagement session this past Saturday. An aspiring wedding photographer who knows we are getting hitched called up and asked if she could take some [free] photos of us to beef up her portfolio. We agreed and I, of course, got a large lime green balloon. It was more fun than we anticipated, and I think we got some fun pictures.

Some long-time Chapel Hillians who really like the big balloon.

an historic day

No matter who you voted for, you have to agree that
Obama's inaugural speech was inspiring and uplifting.

"We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness."

Amen.

a photo tribute to the man

In the eighth grade, I made the Florida State select soccer team, and I had to travel frequently on the weekends for tournaments. One particular weekend, the tourney tragically coincided with the McNair Middle School Valentine's Dance. I wanted to go so badly (I had a crush on some boy, I'm sure). I told dad how brokenhearted I was that I was going to miss the dance. And he drove the two hours up to Jacksonville to pick me up after my frist soccer game, drove me all the way home for the dance, all the way back for my game the next day, and then all the way home again. He is the most kind-hearted and tender man I've ever known. And he would do just about anything for anyone. Doozer the rabbit. That mud-covered redneck who got his truck stuck in the dirt-roads behind our house in CG. Mindori. The fallen-over trees in the BCC parking lot. All of us.

Here's a photo tribute to Papa J:

Dad, the wee baby.

Dad, the cowboy.

Dad, the even cuter cowboy.

Dad, the oldest brother.

Dad, the dashing husband.

Dad, the bearded papa.

Dad, the unbearded papa.

Dad, the middle generation.

Dad, the son.

Dad, the son, again.

Dad, the Floridian.

Dad, the seaman (this was on the ship).

Dad, the pirate.

Dad, the mechanic.

Dad, the ice cream maker.

Dad, the ice cream lover.

Dad, the cook (and Jen, the nerd).

Dad, the proud father.

Dad, the proud father of a beautiful little girl.

Dad, still the father of a beautiful little girl.

Dad, the gardener.

Happy Birthday Dad. We all wish we were on the ship in the middle
of the Pacific to celebrate with you. We love you.

not exactly Switzerland, but...

It was sunny and 70-80 degrees in Florida for the past three weeks, but for some crazy reason, we decided to spend Christmas in Utah, where it was neither sunny nor 70-80 degrees. We flew in on Christmas night in blizzard conditions (I got to have an unplanned layover in Boise), and spent the next week split between Salt Lake, Morgan, Santaquin, and Provo visiting family and friends. We saw the thousands of lights at temple square and got to see the highly-acclaimed concert pianist Jonathan Bowman perform live in Payson, and then got to eat ice cream in his living room. We also did some skiing and snowboarding at Snow Basin. I was the silly one who chose to snowboard, and my body still hasn't quite recovered. But we had a great time and then an even better time coming home to Grandma J's and eating homemade clam chowder and corn bread. We also spent a lot of quality time with the Thomas Family (our very kind and very impromptu hosts).

The trip was bookended by some lovely weather in Florida. I windsurfed in just a shorty wetsuit on Christmas Eve, and Mariah and I went to Disney World the only way one should ever go -- free. We went on the one chilly day while I was home (a high of 60, which warranted breaking out the sweatshirts), and then went to the beach with Jordan and Mariah when we got home.

Not quite Neuschwanstein, but Walt did the best he could...

Disney doesn't mess around when it comes to tannenbaums.

Frontier-land.
K and M's inevitable reaction to my wedding dress shopping. At the beach on Saturday. Don't worry Alisa and Abby...
we won't use this one for our wedding invitations.