It's Not Business, It's Personal

Ever since I saw these custom address stamps online a few weeks go, I've been dying to get one. I love all the various tools of handwritten correspondence - sumptuous paper, elegant stationery, charming cards - particularly when they're personalized. So when an email alerted me that today was the last day they were on sale, I decided to stop dreaming and splurge on this little piece of everyday luxury. Paying the bills and addressing Christmas cards will never be the same again.

What's a tiny indulgence you've been eyeing or have scooped up lately?

Jersey Boys

Have you seen this show? It's coming here next month and Andy and I would like to see it, but don't know much about it. My little sis Kaylee said it was one of her favorite shows in London, so that's one big thumbs up.

Thankfully this is one Jersey-related production that's guaranteed to be Snooki-free.

Barely Legal

So I'm finally legit. After putting it off for four years, I traded in my Massachusetts driver's license for one from the Buckeye State. I renewed my MA one in 2006 and they're good for five years, but it was going to expire on my birthday next month, so I had to get a new one quick so as to avoid having to take not only the written, but the dreaded driving test as well. To be totally honest, I'm kind of sad about it all. It feels like the end of an era and my connection to Boston. Plus, it was a flattering picture, which rare for ID cards. Guess I'm a true Midwesterner now. Not quite as glamorous as being a East Coaster. But I'll have to follow my sister's advice and make it glamorous. :)

It seems like the third time's the charm for me in completing any bureaucratic transaction. On my first reluctant attempt last year I went to the testing center, only to be told that I had to fill out the requisite paperwork first, but I didn't have time to wait more that day and left empty handed. Then yesterday I stood in line, only to be told I'd need to take the written test first. To add insult to injury, the testing center is closed on Mondays. Aargh! So I brushed up on the driver's manual while riding the bike at the gym, gathered up every possible form of ID and proof of address, and returned this morning to success!

It also took me three times to be able to vote in the May election because of a confusion in voting locations and the poll workers not accepting my forms of ID. But I digress...

For your viewing pleasure: A smorgasboard of some older ID cards. I won't be offended if you laugh. Talk about a walk down memory lane.

Note that the AZ license doesn't expire until 2045. They make them good until your 65th birthday, which I think is to cater to the state's large population of, shall we say, more "mature" citizens. I do love the idea of not having to renew every 3-5 years and think more states should adopt the practice. A double edged sword that would reduce paperworks and lines at the BMW but concurrently reduce precious state revenues. Se la vie.

My first passport, issued at age 18 prior to my first international trip. A treasured possession.

My one regret about today is that I forgot to ask them if they would let me keep my old license to add to my collection. Think they've thrown it away yet?

P.S. Thanks Rach H for helping blur out my address so as to avoid creepy stalkers.

Summer Road Trip

At the beginning of June I made a bucket list of all of the things we (meaning I) wanted to do this summer so we wouldn't look back and wonder where the time went, wishing we would have done more fun activities. One of the things on our list was to take a road trip, so over the 4th of July weekend we packed up the car and headed off to Nauvoo, IL for a little history adventure.

On our way there we stayed overnight in Indianapolis with some very gracious friends who let us crash in their lovely new home not long after the movers delivered all of their belongings following a move from Seattle. Literally, the movers were finishing setting up the beds when we drove up. I promise, we didn't know that would be the case when we made the arrangements. Ben had a blast playing with their three sons and the boys spent much of the time talking Legos and huddling over an iPad as they took turns playing games. Thank you again Caroline and Lincoln!

For those unfamiliar with Mormon history, Nauvoo was one of the original sites where Mormon pioneers settled in the mid-1800s. It's now a living history site where you can learn about how people lived in that time period, as well as about the people and events during Nauvoo's early days. In the top picture, Ben and Lucy are in front of the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple, which is situated in a stunning location on a bluff overlooking the mighty Mississippi River. Growing up near the Columbia River and guiding on the Snake River, one of my favorite parts of the trip was driving along the Mississippi. Truly spectacular.

Lucy sporting the latest pioneer fashion. They say the prairie look is making a comeback.

This picture makes me smile thinking of Andy's sister Charlotte, who donned a bonnet in honor of her pioneer ancestors as she and Betsy drove across Nebraska on a cross-country road trip a few years ago.

The boys trying their hand at pre-Angry Birds forms of entertainment

Ben discovered a new favorite form of recreation: climbing trees. This happens to be on a random patch of grass next to a truck stop McDonald's somewhere in the middle of Indiana. Other highlights of the trip were passing four trains as we drove and all the wildlife we spotted: A fox, a deer, ducks, geese, and the snapping turtle that Lucy almost stepped on because it was buried in the mud.

Visiting Carthage Jail

More old-timey games

Lucy bouncing around the room during a presentation about how bricks are made. Like a true nearly-two-year-old, she didn't sit too well for any of our subsequent visits to the blacksmith shop, barrel maker, or bakery. Thankfully it's all fairly kid friendly. Ben loved coming home with a horseshoe and a ring made out of a nail.

Party at the hotel pool. We arrived on a classic Midwest summer day (97 degrees and nearly 100% humidity) and needed a break from the stifling weather.

Doing a little mutton busting.

Maybe we can start training her to be a future Rodeo Queen. Kidding. I'm not going all Toddlers and Tiaras, but I do love a good rodeo and wish we could find one here in Ohio. The closest things we've got are the monster truck rally and demolition derby at this week's Franklin County Fair. On second thought, maybe those need to be added to the list.

What fun adventures have you had this summer? What would you still like to do before school starts again?

The Final Countdown

One more day until the movie event of the year: The final installment of the Harry Potter series. For HP lovers, it's a bittersweet end, even though we all know that the books are infinitely better than their cinematic counterparts.

I wish I was wearing this shirt to the theater.

We'll go Saturday night since having kids who wake up at the crack of dawn throws a serious wrench into the excitement of midnight premieres and all our prospective babysitters will probably be out on Friday night watching the movie themselves.

There's one part of the movie I'm particularly curious about: The scene where Harry is walking into the forest to meet Voldemort and he realizes what's inside the Golden Snitch Dumbledore left him. He puts the Snitch to his lips and finds the Resurrection Stone, whereupon his family and friends appear and stay with him as he bravely goes to meet his fate. The phrase, "I open at the close" never fails to give me chills and I bawl like a baby every time I read that scene. We'll see if the Hollywood version is as moving.

Will you be seeing the movie and when? Midnight showing, opening weekend, after the initial hype has blown over, or not at all?

Do you have a favorite scene or character from the books?

It's so fun to have something like this to look forward to. Next big movie we're anticipating: The Help

Our Lady Katie

Is anyone else smitten with Kate Middleton's super chic and classy style as evidenced on her recent U.S./Canada trip?

The email exchange among me and two of my sisters this morning:

"I'm really starting to develop a serious girl crush on Kate. Did you see her on the red carpet? Can we just share clothes already?"

"It's official. I need the British royal family to provide a killer glamour modest wardrobe for ME."

"I have been online every day looking at her clothes. Love them all, especially the navy blue lace overlay number from the beginning of their Canada trip. P.S She has killer legs."

Gorgeous in green

Hail to the future queen. Regal in stunning purple.

Ladylike and sophisticated

Rocking the red carpet with Wills

Do you have a favorite look of Kate's? (Feel free to attach a photo link)

Do you have a a girl crush on someone else?

I confess, I do still love Michelle Obama as well. The total package of smart, tough, no-nonsense, poised, loyal, and accomplished. Very much her own woman.

Of Princesses and Fairy Tales

In a few weeks we'll be heading out West to celebrate the wedding of my clearly-not-ugly stepsister, Trisha. She and her Prince Charming will be married on August 5th and we're really excited for them. One Christmas when we were visiting my family in WA, Ben got to sleep in Auntie Trisha's room and I think he developed a little crush on her, so hopefully he won't be too heartbroken. We'll meet Brent for the first time at the wedding, so I hope he's up to inheriting a passel of energetic nieces and nephews and wacky in-laws. From all reports, he's a gem and we wish them the best.

For the record, Trisha's wedding announcement is one of the best I've seen in a long time - love the elegant pink/salmon color palette. Oh, and I get to recycle the gray dress from Kira's wedding two years ago, except this time I'll look a little different, not being 33 weeks pregnant. Chalk it up to the miracle of Spandex.

I can't wait to see family (all 20 of us are crashing at a rental house I'm affectionately dubbing the Party Pad. It has a hot tub - need I say more?), revel in the glorious humidity-free beauty of Utah in the summer (picnics up the canyon, dinners outside on the patio!), and take long morning walks with my best friend who lives just up the street from Andy's parent's.

On a tangentially related note, I've spent the last three nights staying up until at least 1 a.m. reading The Forgotten Garden. I'd heard rave reviews from numerous people, but didn't get to it until recently and devoured all 544 pages in a matter of days.

I loved how the mystery carefully unfolds, keeping you hooked, as well as the artfully woven multigenerational storyline and original fairy tales. It was reminiscent of Dickens, The Secret Garden, Wuthering Heights, and Jane Eyre, but with a very unique twist.

Have you read this yet?