December Festivities

December has been full of many festivities and good memories. The first started with me finishing my first quarter of school at Cal Poly. One down, 11 to go! I finished all my finals by the 10th and was looking forward to my nice long month off.....until we got called to serve on the Activities Committee in our ward. We were put in charge of providing the food for the entire ward for the Christmas party on the 19th. And if you know me, you know I'm not a big cooker. I don't know how to cook a ham for Jono and me, let alone an entire ward!! I felt very overwhelmed at the task ahead of me. But I am VERY grateful for family members, visiting teachers and good samaritans in the ward who helped me with all the plans and preparation. The week leading up to the party I didn't do anything but plan, make phone calls, and price food items. We had ham, green beans, baked potatos, salad, rolls, and dessert. It all turned out very well and I couldn't have been happier! I am just so relieved to have that all behind me now.


Jono's company had a work Christmas party on the 13th which was very fun. EY had rented a yacht in Newport Beach Harbor for the evening. It was very chilly, and even though I tried to dress as warm as possible while being in a dress, I was still freezing. Here is a pic of us before we left.

This year was Christmas with the Castletons. The activities have been great and the babies are getting cuter every time we see them! We had Christmas Eve at Aunt Lyn's house in Costa Mesa, which was very fun. We got to see all the cousins and their growing families. Christmas was full of presents and unwrapped paper all over the place. Here are a few pics from Christmas morning:

One of Castleton traditions is to go to Las Brisas in Laguna Beach the day after Christmas for breakfast. It was very yummy and we all went down to the beach afterwards for a little sunshine (and wind!)

The next day we packed up all our gear and walked to a nearby park for a picnic. Subway catered the event and the afternoon was filled with playing, sliding and swinging!

More to come.....

To all our readers...

In case you may have lagged in reading the adventures of Jono and Ady lately, here is a little incentive to check in on a daily basis...

You may have already noticed, but a couple months back I added the gadget "A Joke A Day" to the bottom of my blog. I find the daily jokes quite entertaining and feel my smile get a little bigger after reading them. So if you find yourself slacking on your daily dose of the Castletons and maybe feeling a little morose, feel welcome to click a visit every once in a while. Just scroll down to the very bottom of the blog and enjoy! Love you all and hope you are well!

Here is just a little funny to get you in the winter spirit...

Past Holidays...

Halloween and Thanksgiving proved to be some fun times for both Jono and I. Halloween turned out well, after I spent days stressing over what Jono and I should be. I finally just settled on cat and mouse, although I must say I had to use some coercion to convince Jono to walk out of the house with a small furry tail tied to his belt loop... :] But we did have fun picking out a pumpkin and using our mad skills to create a work of art...well, kind of. We ended up going over to the Gardner's house for a Halloween party and we rocked at 'couples limbo' (although I think Jono might have pulled something). Here are a few pics.

Thanksgiving was also full of memories. After three turkey dinners, Jono and I are STUFFED!! (...and very sleepy!) Since this holiday was an off-season for my parents, we had an early Thanksgiving dinner two weeks early. It was very delicious and we also took our family Christmas photo....which you will see on here very soon. Our next dinner was with Jono's parents at a friend's house, which was also very good, the day before Thanksgiving. And finally, my parents had another dinner that I, Jono and the Castletons went to. Then afterwards we all went to see Transporter 3 with my sister Claire and her husband, Sterling. So all in all, the past holidays haven't disappointed yet and we are VERY exited for Christmas to come.

One Short Day...

...at Pantages Theater...


So I am taking a nap about 2 Mondays ago, and I get a text message from Jono. This makes me very happy because when Jono is at work I consider myself very lucky if I get a text message, let alone just a response to a text. It went a little something like this:

Jono: Wicked thursday night?
Me: Wwwhat??
Jono: Yes or No?
Me: H yes!


The following Thursday Jono and I got all dressed up and went to dinner at Pick Up Stix and then drove up to LA. We gave ourselves about 2 hours to get there for the 8 o'clock show, and we used up every minute. We were still on the freeway at 7:40 and traffic was not looking good, and Jono and I both had to use the restroom from drinking so much at dinner--smart, I know. We FINALLY got to exit 8b and were pulling up to the parking lot (now it's about 7:52) and we were worried about parking. Jono told me to get out and find our seats so if we didn't find a parking spot at least I would get to see the first half (what a nice guy!). So I hopped out and went inside and saw the bathroom line wasn't TOO long, so I hopped in and called Jono on the phone. After I got out I met Jono coming out of the Men's restroom and we hurried to our seats. We had good seats and the play was even better than the first time we saw it. Both Jono and I had to contain ourselves from singing along with all the songs, since we had so much practice as we sang along with the soundtrack to and from all our Idaho trips this past summer.


The night turned out to be successful after one dinner, getting away from 3 possible car accidents, two tired people, and one wonderful play.


"It's just, for the first time I feel....WICKED."

Tagalicious.

thanks Claire...

This is a picture of my family outside the Mt. Timpanogos Temple after my cousin Alex got married. It was a great day and a beautiful couple! We are so happy for them and hope they are doing well! We miss you guys!!


Here are the rules of the tag:
- Go to your Pictures folder
- Go to the 6th folder
- Go to the 6th picture
- Publish it to a new post and tell the story of the picture.

I now tag: Marianne and Alex Healey (the happy couple), Sarah and Kevin Curtis, Haley and Aaron Pierson, Meg and Ethan Brown, and Jeff and Tay Faulkner. Enjoy!

Will Marriage be Redefined?

The definition of marriage is important to us. Prop 8 will be on the upcoming ballet in California. This proposition is to reverse the ruling of the California Supreme Court who voted 4 to 3 to overturn what the people of California voted for in 2000 - Only Marriage between a Man and a Woman is Recognized in California. Voting Yes on 8 is not about hate. We love our friends and relatives who are gay. This is not about rights either. In the state of California domestic partners have the same civil rights as married persons. This is about the definition of marriage. Those supporting gay marriage want the culturally understood definition changed. It's their right to try. And it is our right to try to protect marriage from a change that we believe is not in God's plan.




www.preservingmarriage.org
www.protectmarriage.com

lots of driving, lots of loving.

So this week concludes the third (count it, three!) week that Jono has been away from me due to work. This week Jono was in San Diego and though he was able to come home on the weekends, I missed my man so much I took a trip down to San Diego for a 1 day, 2 night getaway. I left Wednesday after school and drove 2 hours from Pomona. The next day we went to lunch at CPK with some of Jono's co-workers and then I walked to the nearby shopping center that had this great view:

Beautiful. I absolutely ADORED the shops down there and I have to say I found a very cute shower curtain that I LOVE. (I have looked long and hard and I was finally successful!) After I went back to the hotel room for some relaxation. That night I was really craving Panda Express, so we made the 10 minute drive and it turned out to be a success. The trip ended this morning when I woke up at 7 to make the drive from San Diego back to Pomona. Lots of driving, but it was worth it!!

You know you're not at BYU anymore when...

at your new school:

• there is a Starbucks right next to the library
• the information booth gives you attitude and makes you feel stupid for asking a question
• people look at you weird when you tell them you are 20 and married
• you have to check your backpack before you go into the bookstore, then on the way out they do the Costco thing and mark your receipt while looking in your bag
• there is no opening prayer before class
• there are a lot of things hanging out of clothes that you would rather not see on daily basis
• while walking to your next class, you walk through a smoker's cloud and look for the nearby fire
• instead of bringing donuts for the class when you are late, they make you bring beer
• FINALLY: there are no friendly smiles given by complete strangers as you walk by

I am definitely NOT in p-town anymore.

So MAYBE...

I have a new favorite TV show: Dancing with the Stars.

Maybe it's the stars, maybe it's the dance moves ... whatever it is, it makes me looks forward to those 8 pm Monday nights.

This District of Columbia

On September 2, Jono and I left at 9:30 pm on a flight to Washington, D.C. We flew overnight and arrived at 5:30 am. Jamin picked us up from the airport (what a nice guy!) and we went back to Jono's cousin, Emy's, house in Anacostia and slept until 10:30 am.

Wednesday: After Jono and I woke up we went out with Jamin to see some of the historical sites. We went to the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Whitehouse and the WWII Memorial. It was a very hot day, but we cooled off by putting our feet in the fountain at WWII Memorial. The historical sites were interesting and we all loved learning and reading about the events.

Thursday: Jamin, Kimra, Jono, Emerson and I went to Mt. Vernon, George Washington's house, and toured the house and walked around his plantation. We borrowed a wheelchair for Kimra because she sprained her ankle about a week before we got out there. Jono, Jamin and I walked around and saw both the Old Tomb and the New Tomb, where George and Martha Washington are buried. Then we walked down to the Potomac River and enjoyed the view. After, we met back up with Kimra and Emerson and walked around the museum, which was very interesting. Then we drove back to Emy and Drew's house, watched some television and ate a delicious dinner that Emy made for us all. That night we watched the MTV Video awards with everyone and stayed up late talking.

Friday: Today Jono, Jamin, Kimra, Emerson and I all went to the zoo! We got to see elephants, pandas, snakes, and seals! There was a nice cloud cover, so it wasn't as hot today. We went around to all the different animal locations and got really close to them! We left around 5 and went back to the house and pack to leave for my cousin's, Trevor and his wife Lori, house in Potomac. Jamin and Kimra let us borrow their car and we drove 45 minutes to their house. We got there and greeted everyone and sat down for dinner. We played with Madeline and Owen and talked with Trevor and Lori.

Saturday: It was a rainy, rainy day thanks to Hurricane Hannah. We all went to the Air and Space Museum and walked around looking at the different historical locations. Owen loved all the big airplanes and uniforms that were on display. We saw an IMAX 3D movie about the sun, which was pretty cool. Around noon Jamin, Kimra and Emerson met up with us inside while we were eating. We introduced everyone and then continued to walk around. After, we drove around and looked at more historical sites. We parked and walked up to the Capitol. Madeline and Owen had a good time running around the grounds and we all threw pennies into the fountain in front of the Capitol. After, we drove to Georgetown and had dinner at a BBQ restaurant, which was pretty good. Jono and I went over to Haagen-Dazs after to get a Bailey's shake, hmm! After a long day, we drove back to the house and relaxed the rest of the night.

Sunday: Trevor, Madeline, Owen, Jono and I left and saw the rest of the historical sites around the Mall. We started out at the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, walked to the Korean War Memorial, then to the FDR Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and the view from the Lincoln Memorial, where Owen tried to kick the ducks. Lori came to take Owen home and Madeline to her friend's birthday party. Trevor, Jono and I were walking back to the car when we spotted a Polo match. None of us had seen a match before so we stopped to watch the game. We learned that there were four periods (chuckers) in the game and it was pretty intense. Then we drove to get lunch and saw the Iwo Jima Memorial. We ate lunch at Chipotle and Jono and Trevor talked about the economy trouble. After, we went to Arlington National Cemetery and walked around. There were gravesites everywhere and we stopped by the gravesite of JFK and his family. Then we walked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and got to see the changing of the guards, which was incredible. The engraving on the tomb says, "Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God." This tomb represents every soldier who died in war who was never found. There was such a great peace and reverence there. There is a guard protecting the tomb 24/7 year round. After, we drove back to Trevor and Lori's house, packed up and drove back to Emy's house. We had a bbq chicken dinner that we ate outside in the backyard and then Drew took us on a driving tour of Washington, D.C. Drew knows a lot about DC so it was great to have him as our tour guide.

Monday: Today Jamin, Kimra, Emerson, Jono and I went to the National Archives Museum. We got to see the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and many other things. It was awesome to see all the important documents out on display. The room they were held in is very dark because light is not good for the old documents. In the same building was a museum about the important historical events that took place. It was very interesting to learn about the major court cases, how things were made using the Ford assembly line, and learn about the past Presidents of the US. After, Jamin drove us over to Emy's work building and we went in and got a tour of Congressman Chris Cannon's office, which was pretty cool. One of the interns working there gave us a tour of the US Capitol, which was great. The capitol is beautiful inside and we got to sit in the House of Representatives room where the President gives his State of the Union speeches. That night we went out to Ted's Montana Grill with everyone for dinner, it was very delicious. Then Jamin and Kimra drove us to Herndon where we met up with Jono's friend from the MAcc program, Nate Robinson. He and his wife, Katie, were very kind and let us stay at their apartment (which was about 5 min from Dulles airport) for night and then Nate drove us to the airport the next morning for our early flight. Their two boys have gotten so big!

Tuesday: Flew home.

The trip to Washington, D.C. was great. After many laughs, great experiences, and too many bug bites to count, we would do it again in a heart beat. We learned a lot about our nation's history and had the chance to visit with great family and friends.

And the living is easy ...

This summer has been great. The blogs Adrienne has written below give you a taste of how much fun we’ve been having. This last weekend was the best so far (in my opinion) and that is saying a lot. We’ve been very fortunate. We’ve been able to travel a bit and visit family. I’ve been able to get to know Adrienne’s family better and she’s been able to meet a lot of my family also. It’s meant a lot.

We celebrated our FIRST anniversary last weekend on Sunday, the 24th. So after an Angels game and Disneyland, we headed out to celebrate our anniversary in Palm Desert at the Shadow Ridge Marriott Vacation Club (one of Adrienne’s great ideas). It was awesome. We had a little villa with kitchen, tvs, shower, a bathing pool, and patio right along the 15th hole fairway.

First night:
Adrienne has got mad skills in a lot of areas. Naturally, there are some areas she doesn’t focus on as much as others. She is not always as confident in these areas- I’m sure for various reasons but mostly for lack of time spent on it. Cooking is one of these things. Ade cooked an amazing little meal for our anniversary dinner. I loved it! Chicken, corn, bread, and an amazing summer salad. I’ll let the pictures show you how nice it was. She can definitely be confident after that meal. Afterwards, we watched a movie and just enjoyed relaxing.

Next day:
We had some waffles (made with a sweet waffle-maker we were given for our wedding) for breakfast in bed. So good. Then we lounged and lounged and went to the pool during the day and that evening we went to my cousin’s house for dinner and a family home evening. My cousin Carol Anne is my mother’s brother’s daughter. My mother’s family was mostly older than us and most of them lived in Idaho so we didn’t get to see them as much. It’s been really nice to see many of them this summer and Carol Anne was icing on the cake. She’s always been so fun and so great to talk to. We had dinner with her, her husband Mark, and their kids Christopher and Ali, played darts and answered questions about ourselves, and then watched some of “Best of Christopher Walken – SNL”. It was a fun evening. It was good of Adrienne to take that chance and give up some of her anniversary vacation to meet some family. I appreciated it. We went home late and lounged for a bit before crashing.
Tuesday:
We lounged and lounged (that was the favorite activity) and went to the pool again. Just a real busy schedule we had. In the evening we went into town for dinner at Ruby’s, went back to the pool, and later back to the villa to watch movies. So as you can see we had a fun and relaxing time.
Final day:
Woke up, packed up, checked-out, and well … hit up the pool one last time.

So it was a great anniversary and we had a blast. After one year of marriage we are more in love. Marriage has opened our eyes to a different perspective and has helped us grow. We’ve gotten to know each other quite well and Adrienne has put up with me incredibly. And I’ve learned I have a long way to go to being a great husband. She listens to me whether what I’m saying is important or not, puts up with my impatience, makes me meals, lets me watch too much ESPN and election coverage, puts up with my fault of occasionally criticizing, and continues to look gorgeous doing it all. I love her and am excited to progress through life with her by my side.

I had to share that with friends and family who may read the blog. Adrienne has been too good to me and deserves me being more vocal about it.

The TWO Happiest Places on Earth.

So, we all know that Disneyland coined the saying "the happiest place on earth". But why does Disneyland get to monopolize on all the fun? Personally, there is another place where I can be just as happy: Angel Stadium. Oh, how I love you. The bright lights, the cheering crowd, the smell of a freshly cooked hot dog. But I have to confess, my favorite part is the smell of the brickdust. Oh...the memories of softball days. Unfortunally, when we went to the the game last Thursday (thanks Jimmy!!) the Angels lost. And the game ball went to: Nick Punto of the Minnesota Twins. It just so happens that he is a good friend of my brother-in-law, Jeremy. So Jono and I stuck around after the game so Jono could say hi and and I finally got to meet Nick. Angel Stadium, you never dissapoint me.





So two days after the Angel game, my parents gave Jono and I two tickets to Disneyland. We had a lot of fun and enjoyed riding on the rollercoasters. Though it was a hot day, and Jono beat me at the Buzz ride (see below), I managed to have a lot of fun. But of course I couldn't leave Disneyland without getting my favorite treat, rock candy crystals :)