busy, busy bees!

 We got back from CA on a red eye and just six hours later the summer got busy!  Just how we like... Dan & Rachael (college roommate) & their little angel baby, Jude arrived and spent 2 days with us!  They were off touring NYC during the day, which we unfortunately were not able to take part in, due to jobs and studying, but we had them in the evenings and mornings and loved it. Jude was such a trooper baby to traipse around NYC for 12 hours each day.  Mckay was in disbelief, "Rachael is so tough, huh? Will you be tough like her? That is awesome."  He was impressed! Kudos Rachy!

 A few days after D&R left, Krissy & Kara (HS bff & lovely twins) arrived and spent a few days with us! This time, I didn't have work so I got to play all day.  We shopped Greenwich Ave, got our nails done, grocery shopped, made a lovely dinner together & watched a movie to end the girls day off right. It was so fun to have them here! We laughed a lot. Love you girls!

 Later that week our very special summer guest arrived! Kenna decided to move out to NY for the summer & live with the super awesome family I lived with & be their summer nanny. So far she is loving it. She has her own car, own wing of the house, and a cutie 4-year old side kick to hang out with all day. She spends the weekends with us, we're trying to show her a good time so that she moves back after high school. We sure love having her around. Here are my two cutie pies enjoying a fried Oreo in Times Square.

 June happened out of nowhere and brought a lot to us. Mckay took his CFA test on the 2nd and we are so incredibly glad it's over. Now we get to hang out and do fun things on the weekend -as opposed to him studying for 10 hrs every Saturday (barf). I am so happy to have him back.  On June 5th he turned THIRTY!!! Woah. We partied all night in the city with great friends & had a birthday BBQ on Sunday. More on that later, it was a night to remember!

We also have some exciting news...

 After lots & lots of thought & a few prayers answered we've signed up for another 3 years in CT! Mckay applied to NYU's MBA program and was accepted!  In the fall he will start on his part-time MBA while continuing to work full time. It will be busy, but we're excited & grateful for the opportunity he has. I am so very proud of my brainy man! I could just gush & gush over his accomplishments- but mostly, I am just so thankful for his hard work & willingness to support our family now & in the future.

 We finally got a sofa! It was quite a shock to me, when last week a UPS guy knocked on my door with a massive delivery. I am so in love with it! Mckay pulled off a fantastic surprise. What a cutie. He said he wasn't even scared of not consulting me on a pretty major purchase because he knew I'd love it so much. Yup, I love it so much! Good call Mckay!

 Dale & Penny (Mckay's parents) are visiting us this week. We packed a whole lot into our Saturday and have some fun plans for the last few days they are here.

 Mckay's flag football team won the CHAMPIONSHIP!  They had a great season with lots of fun, sweat, battle wounds and an almost-brawl with the opposing team on the last game they played.  Go figure.

Last but not least, Kenna girl is mastering the art of East Coast driving!  No easy feat.  We are doing lots of practicing before sending her out on her own.  Go girl!

That's all we have from this corner of the world.

Love,

 the happy Dunn family (+ Kenna). 

California love.

5.17.12-5.22.12

Ahhh California.

After my week in Utah I flew to CA to spend a few days in the Bay Area with Mckay.  A friend of his was getting married in the Oakland temple & I couldn't resist a trip to my old home. We enjoyed a few days in San Fran (the Golden Gate bridge, Muir woods, Fisherman's Wharf, Alcatraz, Ghirardelli square, & too much delicious food).  I love that SF is so completely different from NYC.  We had a great time & he was soaking up the reuniting time with his old college buddies.  I can't say anything mean on my blog but  I will say that once we separated from his friends and did stuff with our friends, I enjoyed myself only slightly more. 

 

While there we had dinner with my oldest & dearest friend, Lauren, and her boyfriend.  We met up with them in Berkley at this organic pizzeria Jupiter & had a great night visiting and stuffing our faces and reminiscing. The guys seemed to get along great,  and they were good sports to let us share some of our funny, growing-up stories with them.  She has a heart of gold & comes from a salt-of-the-earth family --I'm lucky to have a best friend who is there for it all no matter how far away we are from each other.  I wish we were closer (in distance), but I guess in its own way it makes reuniting so exciting & joyful!

(note our matching haircuts- Lauren's Mom gave us those one day at my house. we were in love)

 

Sadly, the trip came to an end faster than I would have liked.  We went to church on Sunday in my old ward & saw so many sweet & familiar faces.  It's always so good to go back & it was such a treat to have Mckay with me to meet all the wonderful Concord people I love.  We stayed with our good family friends (Jim + Bonnie) who were an absolute delight to spend time with.  I could do a whole separate post about that, but I didn't get a single picture of them or their charming home.  But Mckay said to me, "I think they are the nicest people I've ever met." & that just perfectly sums it up!

We stayed our last night in Palo Alto with the beautiful Christine & our good friend Barrett, who also happens to live in the area, joined us for the evening.  We toured Stanford & fell in love.  It was so gorgeous... we could easily see ourselves there.  You never can tell...

On our very last day we drove down the beautiful coast & stopped at every beach & vantage point we could.  We stopped in Pescadero for fresh, warm artichoke bread (thanks for that suggestion Christine!) & just tried to soak in as much of the coastal sun & beauty as we could.  It was a breathtaking drive.

It's always sad when vacations end!

But we were happy to return to our little home.  Mckay hit the books for two more weeks of intense study before taking his CFA test & I am catching up on all the stuff I neglected during school.  Which is a long list. 

Summer is just around the corner & I am so ready to enjoy myself & relax some!!!

a pretty, little trip to utah.

 Beautiful Cache Valley. No filter, nothing fancy, just a cell phone picture. It was stunning.

The month of May just makes the world so pretty.

May 10th I took my final (hallelujah!), got ma nails did (favorite), and flew to SLC. My awesome Dad picked me up from the airport at midnight and we drove up to Logan. It was late and I was tired but it was oh so good to have him all to myself during those almost two hours. Just a bunch of catching up and laughing and hanging out like old (pre-marriage, pre-college, pre-move away) days. He is the greatest.

 The family, waiting in line for the Avengers. 5/6 liked it. I was one of the those who enjoyed it (surprisingly). It was awesome. After the movie we had pizza and laughed until we cried. Well, I was crying. How did I get such funny siblings? I don't know. But I wish they lived closer because I would have flat abs from laughing, I'm sure of it.

 Paid a visit to one of the sweetest women I've ever met. Mckay's Grandmother, Delma. I was lucky to have dropped in when Mckay's {favorite, shh} Aunt Laura was also visiting. Delma let me look through a bunch of pictures of her growing up & being the beautiful lady that she was/is. So much happiness came from marrying Mckay, & knowing his family is totally part of it. Especially knowing her! 

 "The boy" as we call him (literally all we called him for the first 2 years of his life) is growing like a weed. I can't get over it. Taller than Mom & Regan and fast approaching me & Kenna. It's awesome. He's a good egg.

 Two angels on earth-

my Dad's parents are amazing. They just emanate goodness. I spent an afternoon with them down in Orem & cried when I left. When I pulled out my camera my Grandma disappeared to her bedroom for almost 10 minutes to do her hair. She's 90 years old, I couldn't get over it. My Grandpa recently had a stroke & words come to him a little slower than they used to, and my Grandma's hearing is deteriorating, so they make quite a pair. I'd ask a question and my Grandpa would slowly and softly start to answer but Grandma wouldn't hear him and so she'd start talking. Grandpa couldn't get a word in edgewise & she wasn't even aware! Good times, this picture warms my heart.

Maybe he needs a grandchild?

Kenna had a school assignment to help her not become a teen Mom (not a waste of time or money at allll.) & the stupid thing wouldn't keep quiet. She was freaking out a smidgen and next thing I know my Dad walks into the kitchen and this is what I see. I believe he said, "You kids used to do this, I know how to handle it." He soothed that ugly, plastic monster baby for at least 15 minutes. What a goof.

The kiddos.

Always good to visit the fam, but I hate when Mckay can't come. Good thing the 2nd half of my trip included him and the Golden State!

back in time.

Mckay's parents sent me a bunch of pictures from his childhood. I could not stop going through them yesterday, they made me grin from ear to ear. What a cutie he was! Don't let the pictures fool you though, he was a trouble maker! I believe his Mother told me that he was her most difficult child.  He was naughty and too smart for his own good, I think.  We're in for a treat if our sons take after him.

Family picture circa 1982. Mckay is the startled baby :]

 3 maybe? How adorable is that? I would be so thrilled if our boys looked just like him. Minus the plaid & soul-train collar.

 4? Look at that cutie! His hair was so blonde! I die.

Circa 1988- Love his grin & buzzed head. (He's the little one with the cream vest)

Loving on his siblings.

This one may be my favorite. 

1989, Mckay is the kid on the top right. His Dad is above him.

Mckay was 7 and playing soccer while I was just a newborn!

Freshman year.

Sweet glasses + baby Dallas.

(My Dad had these glasses too.)

Tough guy, senior in high school. 

The red dot means he's going to Korea on his mission.

The red eyes mean he got a little teary.

The red tie? Means it was 2001 I guess.

College football at SVU with brother Taylor.

I suck at bowling & running-

Have you ever seen a cuter group of 4 year olds? These are just five of the ten in my Primary class. I love them! Most Sundays they are just as cute as can be, albeit, hard to keep focused. Class ended and they all wanted to hide under the table & have me tell the Mamas that I lost them. Look at them!!! Too adorable for their own good. And they say the most hilarious things. Like,

"Sister Dunn, you have bags under your eyes."

& "What kind of car does Jesus have?"

They are also impressively smart and have such a sweet, innocent perspective on the gospel. I will be sad when I don't get to teach them every Sunday.

 We went to dinner & bowling with our good friends Josh & Colleen this weekend. Bowling was fun/awkward. Not for them, only for me. Because I suck at bowling. They were all really good & kept getting strikes & really enjoyed themselves. Especially Mckay who got 5 strikes in a row!!! (214 points... super human freak bowler). It was a fun night even with the overpowering aroma of stale cologne + fried food, horrible lighting & obnoxious meat heads next to us.



 I decided to run a 1/2 marathon & as punishment got hurt on my run on Saturday. My  knee has always bothered me, but never caused a significant amount of pain. The last few weeks it would be sore after jogging & sometimes after crossing my legs or bending weird. Mckay & I were out on a lovely mid-Saturday run & it was acting up again. As per usual, I was pushing through the pain, thinking it just needed to get worked out. Then I stopped & couldn't start again. Worst pain ever. I was almost in tears/screaming on the side of the road because I couldn't move my leg or pick it up or bend it. It felt like a had a fat golf ball lodged in the side of my knee. A complete stranger offered to take us home. Bikers stared. Mckay laughed. I moaned. I made Mckay run home (he wanted the exercise) & get the car & come rescue me. And then I iced it all day. Prognosis: Iliotibial band syndrome or IT band injury. So no 1/2 marathon for me.

 Mckay came home after a run one day & told me that he had seen a house and immediately thought "that is a Nicki house" (cute!). That week on our Sunday walk, we were strolling through that same neighborhood & I spotted this gem before he even said anything. Isn't it a beauty? He knows me so well. I couldn't imagine a more perfectly picturesque house. And with yellow daffodils! Love it!

 Magnolia blossoms smelled so sweet & looked so pretty. There is beauty all around & I had to snap a picture.

Still waiting on that sofa fairy.

Still sitting on the floor when we want to "relax" & watch TV. It's the worst. But I just can't deal with the research and time it would take to pick out a sofa, so for now, we sit on the floor.

3 more weeks of this semester-

We are in the middle of mental health nursing & as I read through the book I start to wonder if I am the patient they are referring to in the vignette, "anxiety, tension, restlessness, irritability, lack of concentration, racing thoughts, sleep disturbances, panic attacks"...

Sounds about right :]

Just kidding, I'm holding on just fine, only looking forward to a break, a nap, and a book!

let's be real

Our clean laundry has been sitting in a basket all week. Literally 6 days.

The bed rarely gets made.

Dinner? Prepared on Sunday plus one other lucky night of the week.

Hair? Again, done on Sunday.

I managed to clean the toilet for the first time in a while, normally I clean out of habit.

But this time it was necessity.

Things are falling by the wayside, people!

Yesterday morning I woke up after a hard night.  I had a dream that I was hiking in a scary, frost-covered, Narnia-ish land & found a terrifying, 12 foot bear.  And then I climbed up a tree à la Katniss to hide/save my life.  The bear was huge & hungry & I thought, "I am going to get eaten" because he was as tall as the tree I had climbed to safety.

Not my most peaceful or refreshing beauty rest.  Woke up earlier than I wanted to, and with a backache.  I got in the shower & felt much better.  Then I wanted Mckay to wake up and talk to me and love me and make me feel better, but I wanted him to do this without being told to do it. (right?)

Sigh, he didn't catch my drift.

He was sleepy.

So I got mad.

And wouldn't share my cereal with him because I didn't want his "breath to get on it".

SERIOUSLY?!  Who am I?  A psycho.  But it gets worse.

Because then I decided to be mad at our messy house (that he thinks is clean).  So I told him that he had to make the bed because he was the last one out. But a few minutes later I got back in and he jumped out and said, "Who's the last one out of bed?!".  Push my button, honey. Que irrational yelling of "You are so annoying!" -I was literally mad at him. Then all my stress bubbled up and I was crying at the laundry/unmade bed/running late/bad hair day/mean husband/lower score than I wanted on my test/lack of sofa/lack of time/lack of life right now.

Of course later I felt like a complete nut job.  Especially when he was so incredibly baffled at his sweet wife turned Dracula and expressed his literal shock at how this could be, when just the day before we were so in love.  He told me that he came to bed that night (I was sleeping, he was out playing basketball) and cuddled me and kissed my neck "probably 100 times" and whispered in my ear how much he loved me.  Yes, melt my heart and rub in the fact that I am, literally, a psycho.

But the day got better.  Because that night he played football & I baked & then we came together on our picnic blanket and pillows piled on the hard floor and watched this week's GCB (pure, inappropriate, hilarious genius) & all was well again.

Look at him so excitedly and adorably telling me ALL about his football game.

First one of the season! He's the QB this time & so elated.

It was hilarious, him coming home with so much to share.

"Hold your arms like this, like you're catching the ball", "Here's why quarterback is fun- you get to touch the ball every play!".

Everything is fine in the world again, with GCB, football & chocolate chip muffins to ease the nerves.

 

some of our weekend.

loved the aqua door on this darling house. 

 daffodils from ireland, courtesy of trader joes. i love how they add happy spring vibes to the house.

sunday night scrabble. "our" game. i almost beat him. which means i still lost.

bad decision on my part. but i didn't know that until 5 minutes and 7 wrappers later...

we got rid of our too huge, too ugly poop-brown, too cheaply made sofas & got to watch conference on our pile of blankets. we wanted to get in touch with the asian in us. not fun or comfortable.

 we need to get some furniture in here. {so daunting!}