2011 in review: September to December

 September- I had a work trip to the dirty south Atlanta. I loved the soul food, braves game, and southern hospitality! We even got to tour the field at the braves stadium. Gar was green with envy.

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Here's my tomahawk chop!

Hunting season has its advantages I suppose...like finding really beautiful hikes to go on.

We also did some fun house projects this year. This is the dining room wall. I had big plans for this area. I'll have to do a before and after soon. But here's a sneak peak. :)

Robo-dawg.

October- We went to a local pumpkin patch and picked out several colors and sizes. I had big plans to save the pumpkin and seeds for cooking... We loved picking out the pumpkins ourselves and supporting local business.

Trump towers being turned into Wayne Enterprises!

In October I went to visit my college bestie and roomate, Emily (yea, we were E squared :) in her new home in NYC. It was a fast and furious weekend but I had the best time! We definitely made the most of it thanks to Proc's (nickname) impeccable planning skills. While there I had some time to myself one day and got out on my own in the big city! It was one of my favorite parts of the trip, I spent a lot of time in the Met and looking at the set for the new Batman! Exciting! I'm already looking forward to my next visit!

Beautiful furniture from 1600 France in the Met.

The ancient Greece exhibit. I used to be obsessed with Greek mythology so this had my attention. My Dad lived in Syria as an archaeologist and I wished he had been there to enjoy it with me. Something for the bucket list!

I occupied Wall Street!

The new 9/11 memorial. SO beautiful.

E squared

Riding out to see Lady Liberty in the fog...

After waiting in the cold for good priced tickets, Proc treated me to this fabulous musical (as an early bday present)! We had such a great time in our snazzy box seats and she gave me something no one else could!

And then it SNOWED in Times Square!

And then we spent my last morning in Central Park. One of the best moments of the trip. One of the reasons I think Proc and I became such good, fast friends is because we talk well. Does that make sense? Well, it's true. We ate Levain cookies (these are HUGE and fed me TWICE!) and talked about friendship. Friendship can be hard after you're married. No one really tells you that. We talked about shopping/dating for couple friends (it's true don't kid yourself). Because it's not just you anymore that has to get a long with someone it's two of you trying to get a long with two other people. While we have been so lucky to have so many amazing friends around us, it is always such a good feeling to spend time with someone who has known you for years. Someone who knows all about you, knows your past, and supports your future; someone you don't have to explain anything to or put on your best side for. Ya know? This is probably a post for another time, but, one thing I've really come to appreciate more and be reminded of in 2011 is how important women are to women. I love the women in my life and they really inspire me and uplift me. So, all you women in my life, thanks, you mean a lot to me. :)

November- I turned OLD and we went to Park City to celebrate. It's a long story, but, we ended up getting bored in Park City and decided we would rather be home in our super-awesome house. That was actually a really exciting discovery for us-- that our house really is our home and we'd rather be there than most other places because we love it that much.

I begged talked Gar into another house project and another experiment. I pretty much love it and think it turned out purty well, ifIdosaysomyself.
Again, just another sneak peak. 

We went to Costa Rica with some loverly friends! Holly and Stetson are friends we made at one of our first apartments in Provo. Just a few months after meeting them, Stetson was drafted to the Dodgers and they moved to Arizona. We were pretty heart broken but have kept up and knew they'd be the perfect travel buddies. Costa Rica will have to be it's own separate post to even do it  justice, but to sum it up: PURA VIDA.

On the road to Manuel Antonio

December- Came and went too quickly, like it usually does. We really enjoyed our holidays. We threw our first party which was a good and stressful excuse to decorate and organize the house more (suddenly I knew how my Mom always felt). Thanks to everyone that came and for all the things you brought...I think, wink. It was the best party to date, in my book! :)
My dear, sweet Grandpa Bybee went back to his Heavenly Father and was reunited with his sweetheart. It was very hard to have him leave us and we miss him a lot, but we are so grateful for the knowledge of the gospel and that we will be with him again. Grandpa lived a beautiful, long life of 97 years! It was great to see lots of family again and spend some time with them, especially during the holidays.

We also had the Osmond family Christmas party in Henefer and had lots of fun as usual! We ate a lot of delicious food, had a ginger bread house contest, played games and chatted. My team's house was the best, naturally!

The boys...hmmm (Karis and Lanky, sorry!!!)

OK, there was a normal one with us smiling but I don't know where it went. Mari, I love your face! HA!

The girls. There was an ugly sweater contest, OK?

There was a bird that tried to make a home on our porch. There is a video that the world needs to see involving said bird and one screeching husband...

After a really great month with friends and family, we decided to spend a quiet, romantic evening in for New Years. Sprinkles was pretty happy about that too. We splurged on king crab legs and had an amazing dinner with portabello and mozzarella ravioli, salad and his and hers ice cream for dessert. (His- organic cookies and cream. Hers- Coconut Bliss organic, non-dairy, dark chocolate. You don't even know delicious until you try this!!!)

Like I said, 2011 sure was good to us. Some lasts--being students (for now) and renting. Some firsts: buying a home and traveling to NYC (me) and another country for the list. Dare I say it? We feel incredibly blessed for what this year has brought us. We're ready for the next adventure!

Let's do this 2012!